A New Record for Surrealist Art: 'L'empire des lumières' by René Magritte

As the trusted luxury framer for the world’s elite and their priceless artworks, we proudly contributed to Christie’s recent “MICA: The Collection of Mica Ertegun Part I” event, where René Magritte’s 1954 painting from the series 'L'empire des lumières' set a record for Surrealist art by selling for an astounding $121.16 million. In the same prestigious event, Magritte’s 'La cour d'amour' sold for an impressive $10.53 million. 

Over the last 50 years, we have framed billions of pounds’ worth of the most iconic pieces in art history, including works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Cézanne, and Monet. Our tailored, personal approach has made us a trusted partner for top galleries, museums, and collectors worldwide.

For this landmark auction, we introduced our world-leading FrameEdit software, which allows clients to visualize our frames in stunning high quality, apply a wide range of styles, and customize each frame to fit their artwork perfectly. This cutting-edge technology let Christie's select and refine the ideal pearwood frames for Magritte’s masterpieces, enhancing these artworks with culturally and historically-appropriate framing.

Magritte’s enigmatic style appears perfectly in these pieces. La cour d'amour presents his characteristic dreamlike fusion of the ordinary and surreal, while L'empire des lumières showcases the conjunction of light and darkness in a beautifully soothing nightscape.

How did we make these luxury frames?

Developing custom, period-correct frames for these Magritte masterpieces was a complex and meticulous process. Our talented team crafted Scotia Shelf frames to complement the individuality and grandeur of both pieces.

First stage: design and scale drawing

We drafted precise designs and scale drawings for each frame. This involved measuring the paintings to create custom dimensions, including the required rebate (the inner cut-out lip that holds the artwork securely in place).

Next, we pick and cut the wood

We chose exquisite pearwood tree trunks, known for their rich tones and fine grain, laminated onto thick trenched pine for additional support and durability. This combination not only ensures stability but also provides a beautiful finish worthy of Magritte’s works. We carefully assembled each frame’s structure by layering the pearwood pieces on top of the pine. These were glued, pinned, and clamped to ensure precision and durability.

Sanding and polishing to perfection

Once the glue dried, we hand-sanded the frames to achieve the smoothest surface possible. We polished them in two stages using the ‘French Polishing’ technique. First, we applied seven layers of stain and button polish, sanding between each layer. Then we added an additional seven layers of button polish, culminating in a fine wax polish smoothed with fine wire wool for a flawless finish.

The details make the difference

Every bespoke frame is branded with the same John Davies Framing mark of quality. We also painted and polished the back of the frames for a complete look. For these pieces, we added an extra touch of elegance by gilding the sight edge (the inner edge) with gold leaf, carefully distressed and darkened to harmonise with Magritte’s palette without overwhelming it.

Final touches

We softly distressed the face of each frame to create an impression of age and authenticity. Finally, we buffed the surface with a soft cloth to reveal its stunning sheen.

Our influence on the art world

Magritte’s works are just a part of our legacy in framing masterpieces. Our influence in framing masterpieces stretches to Van Gogh, Magritte, Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, and more.

Find out more about these prestige frames and how they were made in our Reframing Masterpieces series.

Find out more about our story here.