La Sourire du Diable - La Clef. The Smile of the Devil - The Key. by René Magritte, 1898-1967

René Magritte, 1898-1967
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La Sourire du Diable - La Clef. The Smile of the Devil - The Key.

Etching in black ink. 1965/1966. Signed in pencil. Inscribed in pencil as 'e.a.' - Epreuve d'Artiste or Artist's Proof. Proof apart from the edition of 32 numbered or lettered impressions. Total edition of c.40 impressions only. Printed at the studio of J.Rigal. Issued in the series:
L'Aube à L'Antipode, Paris 1966. Rare.
Ref: Kaplan and Baum - Magritte Graphic Work no 7

Excellent impression with strong inking. On pale cream wove Richard de Bas paper. Excellent condition. Full margins. Sheet: 15 3/8 x 11 1/4ins. Plate: 7 x 5 1/8ins (180x130mm)

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'La Sourire du Diable', also known as 'La Clef' was drawn by Magritte in 1965. The edition was only 32 impressions plus a very few 'Artist's Proofs', as here, each signed in full in pencil. It is only rarely that impressions appear on the market.

The composition was drawn by Magritte as a part of the series of seven etchings which were issued to accompany a selection of poems by Jouffroy under the general title of 'L'Aube à l'Antipode - Dawn in the Antipodes'. Although the inspiration for the images was nominally taken from the poems, in fact in the works Magritte returned to a number of themes which had reoccurred throughout his oeuvre and the etchings are very much individual compositions.

In the etchings Magritte used his familiar approach of removing objects from their usual surroundings or context and thus stripping them of their accepted intellectual or visual interpretation. Seen in an unexpected way the everyday objects take on a totally new significance to which we react in a way which derives from our subconscious rather than conscious mind.

Magritte drew the compositions for the 'L'Aube à l'Antipode' series in 1965/1966. The drawings were then worked up into etchings at the Rigal Studio in Paris, and Magritte approved and signed the editions in 1966.