Description:

René Magritte
n.p., n.d.
René Magritte ALS Re: Selling His Biography Written By Fellow Belgian Surrealist, Friend & Model Louis Scutenaire
ALS

A 1p autograph letter in French signed by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte (1898-1967) as "Magritte" at the bottom. N.d., n.p. Inscribed on a leaf of cream paper. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a slightly unevenly sheared left edge. The letter recipient has pencil-inscribed a note in the upper left corner reading in part (translated): "I owe 1335 fr."; the note has been mostly erased but is still partly visible. Else near fine. 5.375" x 8.25."

Magritte wrote this letter to Marcel Béalu (1908-1993), the French writer, art critic, and Parisian bookseller, regarding the purchase of copies of a Magritte biography for resale. The biography - not mentioned by title - was written by Magritte's close friend and fellow Belgian surrealist Louis Scutenaire (1905-1987). It is impossible to tell which Magritte biography by Scutenaire is being discussed here since Scutenaire wrote extensively about Magritte's life and artwork during the artist's lifetime as well as after his death. A good candidate for consideration, however, might be Louis Scutenaire, "René Magritte" (Brussels: Librairie Sélection, 1947.)

Translated in full, with original usage:

"My dear Béalu,

I send you today 2 ex - [exemplaires, or copies] of my monograph by Scutenaire -
after tomorrow, I will mail 1 copy -
and 2 days after again 1 copy -
The price is 40 Belgian francs per copy, for you - (to sell: 60 frs.) = 500 fr [in pencil]
You would be very kind to tell me in 5 or 6 days if you have received these deliveries -

Thanks for your message and best regards,
Magritte."

Louis Scutenaire was uniquely qualified to write about René Magritte. The artist visited Louis Scutenaire and his wife, the Belgian poet Irène Hamoir, on a weekly basis, during which time Scutenaire often selected titles for Magritte's recent works. Scutenaire served as the model for Magritte's 1943 oil on canvas entitled "Universal Gravitation" (1943) showing a man in hunting tweeds losing his left arm through a brick wall. Louis Scutenaire wrote articles and full-length books about René Magritte over the course of 40 years, from the late 1930s until the 1970s. Some of these are still in reissue today.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 5.375" x 8.25"
  • Medium: ALS

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October 8, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000