René Magritte

Lou Cosyn, Brussels (acquired from the artist)

Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1959)

Acquired from the above by descent

Brussels, Galerie Dietrich, Magritte, 1946, no. 17

Verviers, Société Royale des Beaux-Arts, René Magritte, 1947, no. 18

Charleroi, Salle de la Bourse, XXXme salon, Cercle Royal Artistique et Littéraire de Charleroi, 1956, no. 80

Brussels, Musée d'Ixelles, Magritte, 1959, no. 61

Southampton, Long Island, The Parrish Art Museum, René Magritte, Poetic Images, 1979, no. 17, illustrated in the catalogue

Montreal, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Magritte, 1996, no. 44, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Düsseldorf, Kunstsammlung Nordhein-Westfalen, René Magritte, Die Kunst der Konversation, 1996-97, no. 22, illustrated in color in the catalogue

David Sylvester & Sarah Whitfield, René Magritte, Catalogue raisonné, vol. II, London, 1993, no. 557, illustrated p. 334 

Original canvas. The colors are fresh and the surface is stable. There is a line of abrasion, visible in natural light, across the figure's back that extends into the pink background above the right shoulder, which could be minimized with some minor retouching. There is some minor rubbing along the top horizontal framing edge, but they do not affect the over-all visual impact of the composition. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of inpainting and over all this work is in very good condition. Colors: The colors are over all a bit fresher than they appear in the catalogue illustration.
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.

Before he painted this enigmatic painting in April 1944, Magritte described in a letter to his friend Marcel Mariën the image of a woman casting a shadow of a bird in flight.  This, he said, would be the subject of his next painting:  "An object (a human figure or something else) is presented against a background on which its shadow falls, with the amendment that he shadow is that of some quite different object.  Example:  a naked woman projecting another in the form of a bird onto a curtain." (quoted in D. Sylvester, op. cit., p. 334).

The titles for Magritte's paintings often had little to do with the subjects at hand and were usually derived from the creative suggestions of his friends.  For this work, he appealed to Mariën for ideas, one of which was the title Free Will.  After some consideration, Magritte wrote Mariën the following reply, which reveals the artist's own preferences: "As for Free Will, it is very good, but not absolutely convincing, (in the body of the relevant sentence, you unconsciously hit upon The Uncertainty Principle, and which is just as good). I would say that Free Will is rather abstract, I prefer The Uncertainty Principle, which has the merit of being totally abstract and yet, in spite of that, on the whole presents us with a disturbing aspect of actuality. Not that I like actuality, on the contrary, but it conveys a higher degree of temperature" (ibid.).