Night and Day Collide as Magritte’s Moonlit Mystery Shatters Auction Ceilings

A canvas where midnight shadows meet midday skies just rewrote auction history: René Magritte’s L’empire des lumières fetched over $121 million at Christie’s, setting a new high for the Surrealist master. Magritte’s fascination with the uncanny led him to paint 27 versions of this paradoxical scene, each blending sunlight and streetlamps in impossible harmony. The record-breaking sale comes just two years after another from the same series set the previous benchmark, underscoring the enduring allure of Magritte’s visual riddles. The night also saw Ed Ruscha’s iconic Standard Station split expectations—and its painted subject—earning a personal best of $68 million. As the gavel fell, new records emerged for artists like Christian Schad and Susan Rothenberg, turning a single evening into a showcase of art’s power to surprise, unsettle, and soar. In the world of auctions, it seems, the surreal is always in season. #Magritte #Surrealism #ArtAuctions #Culture