René Magritte, L'empire des lumières (The Dominion of Lights), 1954, Series 2

Artist: René Magritte (1898 - 1967)
Title:L'empire des lumières (The Dominion of Lights), 1954, Series 2
Medium:Original Color Lithograph
Image Size:25 in x 19 1/2 in (63.5 cm x 49.5 cm)
Sheet Size:30 5/8 in x 22 7/8 in (77.8 cm x 58.1 cm)
Framed Size:approx. 45 in x 37 in (114.3 cm x 94 cm)
Signature:Signed 'Magritte' in facsimile in graphite color in the lower right margin. Signed in pencil in the lower left margin by the representative of ADAGP representing the Magritte Succession, Mr. Charly Herscovici with the ADAGP blindstamp in the lower le
Condition:This work is in excellent condition with vibrant colors throughout
ID #w-3115

Historical Description

Capturing a curious moment in which day meets night, this work is one of the many 1950's paintings that Magritte produced under the generic title L'Empire des lumières (The Dominion of Lights). Of these works Magritte states, "The landscape suggests night and the sky suggests day. This evocation of night and day seems to me to be endowed with the power to surprise and delight us. I call that power: poetry. If I believe this evocation to possess that kind of poetic power, among other reasons it is because I have always entertained the greatest interest in night and in day without ever feeling any preference for one or the other. This great interest in night and in day is a feeling of admiration and amazement" (Meuris, pg. 138).

Created after the 1954 original oil on canvas L'Empire des lumières (The Dominion of Lights) by René Magritte (1898-1967), this original color lithograph was published and printed by Philippe Moreno, Paris in 2003. This work is signed 'Magritte' in facsimile in graphite color in the lower right margin and signed in pencil in the lower left margin by the representative of ADAGP representing the Magritte Succession, Mr. Charly Herscovici. Numbered 246/300 in pencil in the lower left margin (from the total edition of 360, 300 examples numbered 1-300, 45 artist's proofs numbered 1-45, and 15 copies reserved for the Succession Magritte), this work is stamped with the ADAGP blindstamp in the lower left margin and the Succession Magritte blindstamp in the lower right margin. On the back of this work is an extensive block of printed text stating the title, provenance, tirage, and details of the original oil on canvas.

DOCUMENTED AND ILLUSTRATED IN:
1. Meuris, Jacques. Magritte. London: Greenwich Editions, 1988. Original 1954 oil on canvas illustrated on pg. 139 and discussed on pg. 138.

About the Framing:
Museum grade conservation framed in a complementary moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.