The painting, one of the most important Magrittes to reach the market in recent years, was part of the Sabena art collection, auctioned in aid of the firm’s 12,000 employees made redundant when the airline went bust in 2001.
The sale took place at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem and was organised jointly by Antwerp auction house Bernaerts and Servarts/Beaux-Arts of Brussels.
L’Oiseau du Ciel, 2ft 3in x 19in (68.5 x 48cm), showing the outline of a bird filled with pale blue sky and puffy white clouds, was commissioned from Magritte by Sabena boss Robert Perier in December 1965. Magritte delivered the work in March 1966. Perier said that Magritte’s bird would be used by Sabena for “prestige advertising” and become “part of our trademark”.
The painting was derived from Magritte’s original bird image in Le Retour, painted in 1940.
Compensation for those who have been grounded
MAGRITTE'S Oiseau du Ciel, pictured right, commissioned by Belgium’s Sabena airline in 1965, was sold at auction in Brussels on May 5 for a triple-estimate €3.4m (£2.3m).
