René Magritte

E.L.T. Mesens, Belgium
Private Collection, Belgium

Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, Art et Publicité, 1990-91
Brussels, Musée d'Art Moderne, Avant-garde en Belgique 1917-1929, 1992, no. 346 
Brussels, Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Rene Magritte, 1998, no. 254

Georges Roque, Ceci n'est pas un Magritte, Paris, 1983, no. 200, illustrated p. 157
David Sylvester (ed.), Sarah Whitfield & Michael Raeburn, René Magritte. Catalogue Raisonné Supplement, London, 1997, vol. V, no. X20, illustrated p. 87

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down. The work is supported along all four edges with a thin restorer's paper, which is taped to the mount along the upper edge. All four edges are slightly unevenly cut and there is an artist's pinhole to the lower right corner. There is a 5cm long repaired tear to the upper edge and a further one to the lower part of the right edge. There are some flattened creases to the edges and corners, and a few tiny medium losses to the extreme left and right edges, not visible when framed. There is some light discolouration towards the upper edge. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Couture Norine, executed in 1926, is part of a series of gouache and watercolour advertisements Magritte was commissioned to compose by Norine, one of the most notable fashion houses in Brussels. Given the large scale of this work, it was executed presumably as a design for a poster, as the others in the series suggest to be destined for a catalogue or program that would accompany a fashion show.

Magritte's first inauguration working freelance for the fashion house was after a duration of unemployment, 'it was necessity that drove Magritte to undertake what he once called 'idiotic work', but soon took a certain pride in what he was doing' (Gisèle Olliger-Zinque, Magritte In The Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Antwerp,1995, p.6).  The avant-garde artist, whose previous occupation at wallpaper manufacturer, Peters-Lacroix, stifled him artistically, had not only found his most consistent client in the cutting edge fashion house, but also his most ideal. The compendium of advertisements, particularly Couture Norine, not only allowed Magritte financial stability, but also allowed for renderings that reflect a degree his pronounced footing in the surreal.

Norine, created during World War I, was not anomalous to the surrealist movement. The progressive fashion house was the first Belgian line to depart from purchasing directly from Paris. As a result Norine created a collection that was firmly intertwined with the current and innovative art scene of the 1920's. The fashion house not only enlisted Magritte, but also other cutting edge Belgian artists such as Frits Van den Berghe and Leon de Smet to conceive their precocious graphics.

Magritte's advertising career spanned throughout the rest of his life, and the body of his work is undoubtedly constituent with his works of passion, Couture Norine being a quintessential example this amalgamation.