René Magritte, Le blanc-seing (Free Hand)

Artist: René Magritte (1898 - 1967)
Title:Le blanc-seing (Free Hand)
Medium:Original Color Lithograph
Image Size:24 9/16 in x 19 1/2 in (62.4 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)
Edition:Numbered from the edition of 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); published and printed by Philippe Moreno Paris in 2003.
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.
Condition:This work is in excellent condition with vibrant colors throughout.
ID #w-4043

Historical Description

Of René Magritte Le blanc-seing (Free Hand) Jacques Meuris states, "The way in which the figures of horse and rider are silhouetted neatly against and between the tree trunks in obedience to an even rhythm clearly conveys the looked-for element of surprise. But the fact that the image works, effectively performing this "conjuring trick," is due to sheer painterly skill of a very high order indeed. As in a kaleidoscope scenography, each element is laid down on the canvas in accordance with a perfectly calculated mathematical system. The end effect is that the viewer's gaze, drawn into this maze, comes up against an invisible wall, as it were, the negation of perspective, and is thus led back towards the foreground of the picture, where the principal "action" takes place" (pg. 174).

Created after the 1965 original oil on canvas Le blanc-seing (Free Hand) 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 from the edition of 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.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
René Magritte Le blanc-seing (Free Hand) is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1. Meuris, Jacques. Magritte. London: Greenwich Editions, 1988. Original 1965 oil on canvas illustrated on pg. 175 and discussed on pg. 174.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:
René Magritte Le blanc-seing (Free Hand) is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.