A René Magritte sketch that was bought over eBay for only $1580 is expecting to fetch over $100,000 in an upcoming auction.
The unnamed owner bought the sketch over eBay few years ago, though it is not clear whether he knew it was a Magritte work at the time. The sketch is made using pencil, colored pencils, and ballpoint pen. It depicts giant chess pieces in the backdrop of a cloudy sky – two elements frequently depicted in Magritte works. The work will now head towards Rago/Wright’s Post War and Contemporary Art Auction, scheduled for May 21. The drawing will headline the evening and is estimated to fetch anywhere between $100,000 and $150,000. Towards the latter end, it would mark an almost 100x return on investment for the seller.
Further investigation into the provenance of the sketch revealed that it was once owned by Mora Henskens. Henskens was the companion of Harry Torczyner, a close friends and legal advisor of Rene Magritte. Henskens reportedly acquired the sketch from Magritte’s widow after the artists death. It remained in her collection till 2022 when it was sold for an undisclosed amount. Shortly after, the work appeared on an eBay listing.
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Joe Stanfield (senior specialist at Rago/Wright) said: “This certainly isn’t an everyday thing in the auction world. It’s always exciting to help resurface unknown, and underknown, works from legendary artists—that our consignor found this Magritte on eBay just adds to the thrill.”
