Lot 153
  • 153

Magritte, René

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 USD
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Description

  • pencil and paper
Le Problème du Fantôme. Sketchbook containing 49 sketches for an unpainted work. [Brussels, 1946]

Sketchbook with 49 drawings, 6 are signed, one is dated "13 August 1946"; (5 1/2 x 4 1/8 in.; 140 x 105 mm); pencil or ink; the sketchbook is titled on the cover "Le Problème du Fantôme."

Provenance

Suzi Gablik

Literature

D. Sylvester, Magritte, II

Condition

very good condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Insight into Magritte's creative process.

The sketchbook, used probably during the war, shows studies for several Magritte paintings made between 1941 and 1948: The Meteor (Sylvester, II, 559), The Civilizer (Sylvester, II, 574), The Tempest (Sylvester, II, 576) or Pure Reason (Sylvester, II, 659).
It presents also a remarkable series of studies of iconic Magritte references as hair, women, landscapes or leaves that resemble birds, used for different paintings such as Knowledge of the Natural (Sylvester, II, 488), Daily Bread (Sylvester, II, 497), The Rape (Sylvester, II, 580) or The Fire (Sylvester, II, 599).

Others studies are traditional representations of ghosts (a large white sheet) in a Magrittian way (with a smiling face, with woman, a leaf, a ship, a balloon or a drop in the middle of the shadow) for a work he probably never painted. The "Ghost Problem" of the title remains unresolved.