René Magritte

Paul Eluard, Paris
Henri Matarasso, Paris (1937 or 1938, acquired from the above)
Jacques and Madeleine Matarasso, Paris (by descent from the above)
Maître Briest, Paris, Collection Jacques et Madeleine Matarasso, October 27, 2000, lot 5
Collection Jacques Grange, Paris

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism, December 1936-January 1937, no. 411
London, Hayward Gallery (and traveling), Magritte, May 21, 1992-August 2, 1993, no. 136, illustrated in the catalogue n. p.

Letter by Magritte to Breton, July 1934
"Intervention Surréaliste", in Documents 34, Brussels, June 1934, illustrated p. 1
René Magritte,  'La Ligne de vie' (lecture at the Koninklijk Museum van Schoone Kunsten, Antwerp, 1938) in Louis Scutenaire, Avec Magritte, Brussels, 1977, p. 90, for a similar example
David Sylvester, Magritte, London, 1992, illustrated p. 275
David Sylvester, Sarah Whitfield, Michael Raeburn, René Magritte, Catalogue raisonné, Gouaches, Temperas, Watercolours and Papiers Collés 1918-1967, London, 1994, vol. IV, no. 1108, illustrated p. 12

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, framed between two pieces of glass. The sheet is slightly undulating. Examination under UV light reveals no evidence of retouching. There is a tiny tear (approx. 0.2 cm long) to the upper part of the left edge. There is some slight rubbing to the extreme edges, predominately to the lower and right edges. There is a small area of minor paper abrasion to the lower right corner with a few associated flecks of pigment loss (as visible in the printed catalogue illustration). The sheet is slightly light stained and there are some scattered specks of foxing. There is some paper skinning along the edges on the reverse of the sheet. This work is in overall 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

No greatness exists for him that would grow. There is no model for him that seeks what he has never seen. We all belong to the same rank. Let us do away with the others.
Employing contradictions purely as a means to equality, and unwilling to please and be self-satisfied, poetry has always applied itself, in spite of all sorts of persecutions, to refusing to serve other than its own ends, an undesirable fame and the various advantages bestowed upon conformity and prudence.
And what of pure poetry? Poetry's absolute power will purify men, all men. 'Poetry must be made by all. Not by one.' So said Lautreamont. All the ivory towers will be demolished, all speech will be holy, and, having at last come into the reality which is his, man will need only to shut his eyes to see the gates of wonder opening.

Paul Eluard, L'Evidence poétique, conference delivered in London in 1936.