René Magritte

P. G. Van Hecke, Galerie L'Époque, Brussels

E. L. T. Mesens (acquired from the above circa 1932-33)

Grosvenor Gallery, London (acquired from the above in 1961)

Acquired from the above by the late owner in the 1960s

Brussels, Galerie Le Centaure, Exposition Magritte, 1927, no. 16

London, Grosvenor Gallery, Magritte, 1961, no. 14, illustrated in the catalogue

Turin, Galleria Galatea, Magritte, 1962, no. 12

Milan, Galleria Falanga, Magritte, 1962, no. 10

Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, René Magritte: Het mysterie van de werkelijkheid, 1967, no. 4

Stockholm, Moderna Museet, Magritte, 1967, no. 5

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Houston, The Menil Collection; Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Magritte, 1992-93, no. 14, illustrated in the catalogue

Patrick Waldberg, René Magritte, Brussels, 1965, illustrated p. 33

David Sylvester, Sarah Whitfield & Michael Raeburn, René Magritte Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, London, 1994, no. 117, illustrated p. 194

David Sylvester, Magritte, Brussels, 2009, illustrated p. 127

Very good condition. Original canvas. Under ultraviolet light, there are some isolated retouches visible near the upper edge where two spots approximately 12 inches from the upper left corner have been restored, and to the left of the figures head on the left side there is also a small group of restorations. Some mild frame abrasion around the extreme edges has been retouched here and there. The only real restoration to this large painting has been applied to a curved scratch to the middle of the right side and there is also a group of retouches in the lower center in the white “toga” being worn by the figure.
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.

Among Magritte's most ambitious early works, Le chevalier du couchant is imbued with a strong sense of mystery.  "Mystery is invisible, the artist wrote to his friend, the poet André Bosmans, "It (like nothingness) is important not because it is invisible, but because it is absolutely necessary" (from a letter dated September 25, 1964 published in H. Torczyner, Magritte: Ideas and Images, New York, 1977, p. 170). 

As is the case with his most successful Surrealist compositions, each element in Le chevalier du couchant is more enigmatic than the next.  In the foreground, a flat, wooden figure in a classical toga faces a reflection of his draped body without a head.  Instead, a painting of a pennant planted in an ambiguous, cracked landscape rests behind the shoulders of the headless figure.  An imposing wall with jigsaw cut-outs slices through the composition, while a tall column and eerie, black sky loom in the distance. 

Magritte painted this work in 1926 at the beginning of his highly prolific career as a Surrealist.  These works are characterized by smooth, carved surfaces and a strange theatricality (fig. 1).  He was inspired by the Italian metaphysical painter, Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), when in 1923 he saw a reproduction of the iconic Song of Love (fig. 2), which supposedly brought Magritte to tears.  Le chevalier du couchant is a particularly strong tribute to the Italian artist.  He borrows several of de Chirico's motifs – the painting within a painting, a wooden cut-out figure, a pennant blowing in the wind, classical drapery – and positions them at sharp angles receding into space.  Magritte would continue to adapt many of these same elements, notably the anonymous figure and the painting within a painting, throughout his career.

The impact of Le chevalier du couchant is magnified by its scale: it is one of the largest works Magritte executed during this period.  This painting was included in Magritte's first one-man exhibition at the Galerie Le Centaure in 1927.  Paul-Gustave Van Hecke (1887-1977), the artist's primary dealer during the 1920s, owned the work until the contents of his gallery were dispersed between 1929 and 1933.  The "GS 261" label on the verso indicates the inventory number from Van Hecke's Galerie L'Époque.  Le chevalier du couchant was then sold to Edouard-Léon-Théodore Mesens (1903-1971), Magritte's friend, fellow artist, dealer, and writer, along with over 150 of Magritte's pictures.  In 1961, Mesens sold the painting to Grosvenor Gallery, where the present owner purchased it.

Le chevalier du couchant comes from the Estate of an American Collector, who had a deep passion for the arts and whose home was filled with a wonderful variety of late 19th to mid-20th century paintings, sculptures and works on paper.  The collector's spacious townhouse was filled with art nouveau original drawings of Alphonse Mucha, alongside works by Czech cubists, Italian futurists, ceramics by Picasso, and paintings by French Impressionists and early Modernists.  Throughout his home there was also a wonderful variety of sculpture, in addition to Chinese ink painted screens and 19th century European furniture.  A superb bronze Horse and rider by Marino Marini (offered in Sotheby's sale of Italian Art this past October) was exhibited just below a marvelous Calder mobile (to be sold in our sale of Contemporary Art this November) and within view of multiple great bronzes by Henry Moore.  This collector had a love of learning, as evidenced by a large and eclectic library that filled the top floor of his house.  His interests ranged from the most arcane topics within the sciences and engineering, to innumerable biographies and art historical texts.  A frequent visitor to Europe, this successful businessman and erudite polymath befriended many of the great dealers of the post-War era and bought many of his pieces in conjunction with meetings with the artists themselves.  The important Magritte here is being offered along with a selection of works in the Day sale on November 3,  as well as in a variety of sales through the coming year.