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An notable artwork by the renowned avant-garde artist René Magritte that has stayed within one private collection for more than nine decades is scheduled to be auctioned this October.

This Intriguing Background Behind the Artwork

The painting was first acquired through the family belonging to Spaak, an World War II underground fighter that served as the artist's patron during an time where he was struggling economically and been unable to sell a single work for two years.

Spaak was executed at the hands of Nazi forces in the French capital for her efforts to help Jewish children find safety.

Auction Projections and Expectations

The auction house has projected which the artwork may fetch in the range of five million euros and €7m, but experts expect it to achieve a much greater value.

“It is the initial instance I’ve managed an important Magritte work which has remained in the same household from it was painted,” remarked an high-ranking auction house official. This is remarkable, just like the history behind the owners.”

The official further referred to the painting by saying “the Taylor Swift of surrealism,” adding that “If you were to ask a group of students to do a presentation on the surrealist movement, this painting by itself would be enough to define the movement.”

Magritte's Early Challenges and Professional Development

This Belgian painter initially worked as a designer at a wallpaper factory and produced commercial ads until the mid-1920s, at which point he produced his first surrealist piece.

A year later, he held his debut exhibition in Brussels, however reviewers were harsh and disheartened Magritte moved to Paris, where he failed to establish a name for himself.

Magritte returned to his homeland in 1930 and established a commercial art business alongside his brother Paul Magritte.

The artist's life was very difficult at this time. The Great Depression which began in the late 1920s in America affected France by the early 1930s. For two years, between 1930 to 1932, he sold nothing and had no shows,” an specialist explained.

No one purchased artworks from surrealist artists. These artists were viewed as radical agitators.”

The Role of his Patrons

Spaak’s husband, Claude, a celebrated Belgian-born writer, was acquainted with the artist acting as a benefactor, commissioning paintings of his wife and their kids and arranging regular financial support for the artist and his family.

In 1934, the sister Alice, known as Bunny, bought La Magie Noire to mark the arrival of her first child with Emile Happe, a Belgian industrialist.

“The Spaak family represented for Belgium what the Mountbattens were for Britain; like royalty and they pulled the artist through hard times,” an art specialist commented. The purchase was made to mark the birth of a baby but it also marked a rebirth for the painter as he was trying to get himself back on his feet.”

Painting Features with Symbolism

The subject for the series had been Magritte’s wife, Georgette, who is depicted in a classic style like a marble statue placing her hand on a stone block.

Her upper body slowly merges with the sky behind her while her lower body maintains its realistic coloring.

The artist later created 10 similar works, many of them were given distinct titles. In this work, the first in the series, Georgette is portrayed with a dove on her right shoulder.

A portion of the background shows a partially paneled wall inside.

Suzanne Spaak’s Courageous Underground Work

The couple resided in Paris at the outbreak of war in the late 1930s.

After the German takeover of the French capital, she joined the resistance and was a participant of the “Red Orchestra” spy ring.

She used her considerable fortune to rescue over 160 Jewish youngsters from being deported, sheltering a number of them in her residence before they were relocated to secure locations.

Final End and Historical Impact

In October 1943, German forces arrested her along with hundreds of the Red Orchestra.

On August 12, 1944, days before the freeing of Paris, the Gestapo executed Spaak in her prison cell. She was 38 and has since been honoured by Israel as one of the Righteous for her actions in saving Jewish lives.

The artist passed away of pancreatic cancer in August 1967 and is buried in Brussels.

Exhibition with Auction Schedule

The painting, previously shown in the Magritte Museum in Belgium, has been rarely seen abroad over 90 years.

La Magie Noire will be exhibited at the French capital between 17 and 23 October before its sale on 24 October.