René Magritte (Belgian 1898-1967)
Etude d'une figure regardant vers l'extérieur

pencil and watercolour
(unframed)

ARR

Dimensions: 27.5 x 21.5 cm. (10 7/8 x 8 1/2 in.)

Sale; Sotheby's, London, The Remaining Contents of the Studio of Rene Magritte,the property of the late Georgette Berger, the widow of René Magritte, 2 July 1987, lot 809 (one of the drawings from this lot) where purchased by the present owner.

This sketch is of one of René Magritte’s recurring images of a man seen from behind, often wearing a bowler hat and suit, is a powerful symbol of anonymity and mystery in his work. By showing the figure’s back instead of his face, Magritte challenges the viewer’s perception of identity and invites contemplation on the unknowability of the self and others. This motif appears in several notable paintings, such as The Mysteries of the Horizon (1955) and Not to Be Reproduced (1937), where the obscured face emphasizes the tension between appearance and reality. This theme resonates with broader surrealist explorations of hidden identities and connects to similar works by artists like Giorgio de Chirico, as well as existential philosophical ideas about the self and the gaze.