Christie’s is to auction three exceptional paintings by renowned Belgian artist Paul Delvaux (1897–1994) as key highlights of The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale on 5 March 2025, part of the 20th/21st Century London Marquee Week.
These remarkable works, all coming to market for the first time in over 30 years, originate from a distinguished private collection and capture pivotal moments in Delvaux’s career, standing as a testament to his enduring legacy within the Surrealist movement.
The three masterpieces – Les belles de nuit (1936; estimate: £500,000 - £1,000,000), La ville endormie (1938; estimate: £1,200,000 - £1,800,000), and Nuit de Noël (1956; estimate: £1,000,000 - £2,000,000) - epitomise Delvaux’s signature blend of lyricism and melancholia. Known for interweaving reality and fantasy, Delvaux’s style encapsulates the aesthetic principles of Surrealism while maintaining his independence from any formal artistic circle.
Les belles de nuit (1936; oil on canvas, 39⅜ x 39⅜ in.) has a distinguished provenance, having been owned by Edward James, the celebrated patron of Surrealism who famously supported artists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte. James displayed the painting at Monkton House in West Sussex, where its neoclassical architecture echoed the work’s surreal blend of antiquity and modernity. Les belles de nuit hung on the first floor landing, in an arched architectural structure which mimicked the architecture of the neoclassical building in the painting. Set against a rugged backdrop inspired by Belgium’s so called “Pays Noir” (black country), painted here for the first time in Delvaux’s oeuvre, the composition features two nudes adorned with elaborate headdresses. Classical influences shine through in the sculptural forms and elegant poses of the figures, while the architectural framing and elements echo the lasting influence of Giorgio de Chirico on Delvaux.
La ville endormie (1938; oil on canvas, 59⅜ x 69⅛ in), from Delvaux’s celebrated series of cityscapes, is a haunting vision of nude and semi-clothed female figures, bathed in soft moonlight amidst the ruins of a dreamlike city featuring implausibly juxtaposed architectural styles. The artist’s masterful use of perspective creates a theatrical atmosphere, where crumbling buildings and towering mountains evoke a timeless, almost otherworldly backdrop. The artist’s own likeness appears in a shadowy doorway, inviting the viewer into this enigmatic world. Influenced by his classical studies and the neoclassical architecture he admired, Delvaux also draws on the metaphysical works of Giorgio de Chirico and Surrealist aesthetics. The painting blends history and imagination, offering a poignant reflection on the fragility of the past.
Nuit de Noël (1956; oil on masonite, 49¾ x 69½ in.) presents a serene and dreamlike scene of a young girl at an urban train station, bathed in the silvery glow of a full moon. Painted while Delvaux was a professor at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Art et d’Architecture in Brussels, this large composition showcases his talent for crafting monumental, dreamy visions. The moonlit station is rendered with precise realism and cinematic clarity: the interplay of light, from the moon’s glow to electric station lamps, creates a surreal harmony that blurs the boundaries of night and day, a hallmark of Delvaux’s work and the Surrealist ethos. A lifelong fascination with trains, inspired by childhood dreams of becoming a stationmaster, adds a poignant autobiographical layer.
Olivier Camu, Deputy Chairman, Impressionist and Modern Art, Christie’s, London: “These iconic works by Paul Delvaux from a distinguished private collection, all coming to market for the first time in over thirty years, capture pivotal moments in the artist’s career. They are from the best years of his oeuvre and stand as a testament to his enduring legacy within the Surrealist movement. Notably, Les belles de nuit boasts an important provenance, having once been owned by the legendary Surrealist patron Edward James, who hung it in the renowned Monkton House. This collection beautifully traces the evolution of Delvaux’s artistic journey and celebrates his legacy within the surrealist movement. We are thrilled to present it in our upcoming The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale on 5 March”.
Main Image: La ville endormie, Paul Delvaux Courtesy Christie's
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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