The Murderous Sky (Le ciel meurtrier)

1927

René Magritte

Artist, Belgian, 1898 - 1967

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    brush and black ink with collage of sheet music cut-outs on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

  • Dimensions

    overall: 50.3 x 65.2 cm (19 13/16 x 25 11/16 in.)

  • Accession

    1995.47.55

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Sylvester 1992, Vol. IV, no. 1625

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Galerie L'Epoque, Brussels); E.L.T. Messens [1903-1971], London; (sale, London, Sotheby's, 12 April 1972, no. 110); (Baskett and Day, London); purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA; gift to NGA, 1995.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1961

  • Magritte, Grovesnor Gallery, London, 1961, no. 10.

2001

  • A Century of Drawing, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001-2002, no. 53, as The Murderous Sky.

2011

  • René Magritte: The Pleasure Principle, Tate Liverpool; Albertina, Vienna, 2011-2012, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

2016

  • In Celebration of Paul Mellon, NGA, 2016.

Bibliography

1992

  • Sylvester, David, ed. René Magritte Catalogue Raisonné. 4 vols. Houston: Menil Foundation and London: Philip Wilson, 1992.

2001

  • A Century of Drawing. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001-2002: no. 53.

Inscriptions

lower left in brush and black ink: Magritte; by later hand, upper right verso in graphite: 18656 Mellon; by later hand, lower right in blue pencil: encienra (?)

Watermarks

ARCHES

Wikidata ID

Q64620333

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