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An notable canvas from this renowned avant-garde artist René Magritte which has stayed within a single private possession for over nine decades will go to be auctioned later this month.

The Fascinating History Of this Artwork

The painting was originally purchased through the family belonging to Spaak, an World War II underground fighter who served as the artist's supporter during a time where Magritte faced difficulties financially and had failed to sell a single work for two years.

She was executed at the hands of the Gestapo in the French capital due to her actions in helping young Jewish individuals find security.

Sale Estimates and Anticipations

This auction house has estimated which the artwork could sell for between €5m to seven million euros, but experts expect that it will reach a much greater value.

This is the initial instance I have handled a major Magritte work that has remained with one family since it was painted,” remarked a senior art market official. This is remarkable, as is the history behind the owners.”

The official also described the painting as “the Taylor Swift in surrealist art,” noting how “If you were to ask a group of students to prepare a report about surrealism, this painting by itself could be sufficient to define it.”

Magritte's Formative Struggles with Professional Growth

The Belgian artist first worked as an artist in a wallpaper factory and produced advertising posters before 1926, at which point he produced his debut avant-garde work.

A year later, he held his first show in the Belgian capital, but the critics were savage and disheartened Magritte moved to France, where he failed to establish his mark.

He went back to Belgium by 1930 where he established an advertising agency with his brother Paul.

“Life for Magritte was quite hard during that period. The economic crisis that started in 1929 in the US hit France by the early 1930s. For two years, from 1930 and 1932, Magritte sold no works and had no exhibitions,” the specialist stated.

No one purchased paintings by surrealists. These artists were viewed as revolutionary troublemakers.”

The Influence of his Benefactors

Spaak’s husband, Claude, a well-known Belgian playwright, was acquainted with the artist and a benefactor, commissioning portraits of Suzanne and children and arranging a monthly stipend for the artist and his household.

In 1934, Suzanne Spaak’s sister Alice Lorge, known as Bunny, acquired La Magie Noire to celebrate the birth of her newborn with Emile, an industrial industrialist.

“The Spaak family represented for Belgium like the Mountbattens were to the UK; like royalty and they helped Magritte through hard times,” an art specialist said. “It was bought to commemorate the arrival of a baby but it was a revival for Magritte who was trying to get himself back on his feet.”

Painting Details with Meaning

The subject in this series was Magritte’s wife, Georgette, she is depicted in a classic style resembling a sculpted figure resting her hand on a block of stone.

Her upper body slowly merges into the sky behind her whereas her lower body maintains its natural tone.

The artist went on to paint ten comparable portraits, most of which received different names. In this work, the initial in the series, Berger appears with a bird perched on her shoulder.

One-third of the backdrop shows a semi wood-panelled interior wall.

Suzanne Spaak’s Courageous Underground Work

Suzanne and Claude Spaak were living in the French capital at the outbreak of war in the late 1930s.

Following the Nazi occupation of Paris, Suzanne joined the underground and served as a participant in the “Red Orchestra” spy ring.

Spaak employed her considerable fortune to rescue 163 Jewish children from deportation, hiding several of them in her residence until they could be moved to secure locations.

Final End with Historical Impact

By late 1943, German forces arrested her together with hundreds of the Red Orchestra.

On 12 August 1944, just before the freeing of the city, the Gestapo killed Spaak in captivity. She was 38 years old and has since been honoured by the state of Israel as one of the Righteous for her efforts to save Jewish people.

Magritte died of pancreatic cancer on 15 August 1967 and rests in the Belgian capital.

Display and Auction Timeline

The painting, previously shown in the Magritte Museum in Belgium, has been rarely seen outside Belgium in more than nine decades.

The piece will be exhibited in the French capital between October 17-23 prior to the auction on 24 October.