About This Auction

Christie’s presents the 25th edition of The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale, taking place on 5 March 2026 as part of the 20th/21st Century Art London auction series. This landmark edition brings together an outstanding group of Surrealist and related works that exemplify the movement’s imagination, formal innovation and psychological depth. The sale traces Surrealism’s development from its early Symbolist and Dada influences through to post‑war masterpieces. This year’s offering features exceptional examples by René Magritte, Paul Delvaux, Dorothea Tanning, Toyen, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Odilon Redon and Pablo Picasso, among others. Leading the sale is René Magritte’s Les grâces naturelles (c. 1961), a luminous and iconic painting centred on his celebrated ‘leaf‑bird’ motif. The strong Magritte group also includes Le chœur des sphinges (1966) and La jeunesse illustrée (1937), among other important works that exemplify the artist’s wit, poetic logic and enduring fascination with metamorphosis. Together, these paintings highlight Magritte’s 1960s return to earlier themes, reimagined with striking clarity and visual economy. The sale is further distinguished by major works by Paul Delvaux, notably the dreamlike La ville lunaire (1944), and by significant contributions from pioneering women Surrealists, including Dorothea Tanning’s psychologically charged Children’s Games (1942) and Toyen’s enigmatic Le devenir de la liberté (1946). Additional highlights include rare works by Odilon Redon, important paintings by Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso from The Renker Collection, and three significant works by Max Ernst. Together, they offer a compelling and nuanced survey of Surrealism’s enduring imaginative power and its rich experimental legacy.