The Son of Man Auction History

Commissioned by Harry Torczyner and acquired directly from Magritte in 1964, The Son of Man remained with Torczyner until Christie’s New York sold it on 19 Nov 1998 for $5,392,500. It has since stayed in a private collection and continues to be loaned to major exhibitions, including SFMOMA in 2018.

Artwork

The Son of Man

Artist

Rene Magritte

Best-known sale or transfer

Christie’s New York, 1998 — $5,392,500 (with fees)

Sale type

Public auction

Current location / owner

Private collection

Auction and Ownership Timeline

1963-06-28

Commission proposed by Harry Torczyner

Brussels / New York

Torczyner asks Magritte for a self‑portrait; the artist replies on July 2, 1963, initiating the work that became Le fils de l’homme [1].

1964

Painting completed

Oil on canvas, 116 × 89 cm, signed and titled; completed by late July 1964 (Sylvester CR vol. III, no. 999) [1].

1964

Acquired by Harry Torczyner

New York

Purchased directly from Magritte and received in New York before 13 Aug 1964 [1].

1969

Exhibited: Tate Gallery, London

Tate Gallery, London

Shown in Magritte (Arts Council of Great Britain/Tate Gallery), Feb–Mar 1969, no. 98 [1].

1977

Exhibited: Sidney Janis Gallery

Sidney Janis Gallery, New York

Included in Magritte, Dec 1977, no. 27 [1].

1978

Exhibited: Brussels & Paris retrospective

Brussels and Paris

Palais des Beaux‑Arts, Brussels, and Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, Oct 1978–Apr 1979, no. 174 [1].

1992

Exhibited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met, New York

Magritte, Sept–Nov 1992, no. 124 [1].

1998-11-19

Christie’s New York: The Collection of Harry Torczyner, Esq.

$5,392,500 (incl. premium) · Christie’s, New York

Sold to a private buyer for $5,392,500 (incl. premium) [2][4].

1999

Loan requested for 1999–2000 museum tour

Humlebæk and Edinburgh

Sale‑room notice requested loan to “Magritte: Precursor of Conceptual Art,” Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, traveling to Edinburgh [1].

2018

Loan: SFMOMA, René Magritte: The Fifth Season

SFMOMA, San Francisco

Displayed May 19–Oct 28, 2018; label credited “Private collection” [3].

Provenance and Ownership

1964: Acquired directly from René Magritte by Harry Torczyner shortly after completion, following Torczyner’s 1963 commission correspondence with the artist [1].

1998: Sold from the Torczyner collection at Christie’s New York on 19 November 1998 to a private buyer; price reported at $5,392,500 with fees [2][4].

Since 1998: Private collection; periodically loaned to exhibitions, including SFMOMA in 2018 where it was credited “Private collection” [1][3].

Why This Sale Matters

The Son of Man is among Magritte’s most recognized images and one of only a handful of self‑portraits, a status documented in the commission correspondence and catalogue raisonné entry on the Christie’s lot page [1]. Its public market moment came in the landmark dispersal of Harry Torczyner’s collection at Christie’s New York on 19 November 1998, where it realized $5,392,500 with fees and passed into a private collection [2][4].

The Torczyner auction is widely regarded as a trigger point for Magritte’s market, with multiple records broken that evening and new price levels established for the artist [5]. Since then, demand for Magritte’s signature “bowler‑hat” imagery has intensified. Christie’s described the large 1964 canvas Le lieu commun as the most important Magritte to come to auction since Le fils de l’homme; it sold for £18,366,250 ($24.34m) in 2019 [6]. In 2024, the motif’s desirability was reaffirmed when L’ami intime (1958) achieved £33,660,000 (~$43.2m) in London [7]. At the very top of the market, Magritte’s broader category record now stands at $121,160,000 for L’empire des lumières (1954) at Christie’s New York in 2024, underscoring the sustained growth and global demand for his work [8].

Given its iconic status, direct provenance from the artist to Torczyner, and the visibility afforded by major museum loans (Tate, Centre Pompidou, The Met, SFMOMA), this painting occupies a keystone position in Magritte’s market narrative. Its 1998 sale anchors its public price history, while private ownership and infrequent availability enhance its rarity premium [1][3][5].