L'empire des lumières
This work is a version of René Magritte's iconic 'L'empire des lumières' (The Empire of Light), one of his most celebrated and repeated surrealist compositions. The painting depicts a paradoxical juxtaposition of a nocturnal street scene below — with a glowing lamppost, lit windows of a darkened house, and silhouetted trees — against a luminous daytime sky above, filled with white clouds and a faint orb. This deliberate temporal impossibility, day and night coexisting in the same image, is the hallmark of the series Magritte began in the late 1940s and continued through the 1960s. The work exemplifies Magritte's ability to render the uncanny in a precise, almost photographic style, making it a cornerstone of any significant Surrealist collection.
- Medium
- Oil on Canvas
- Signed
- Yes
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Notes
A signature appears to be visible in the lower right corner of the canvas, reading 'Magritte'. Magritte produced multiple versions of 'L'empire des lumières' between 1948 and 1967 in both oil and gouache; the precise date and edition of this version cannot be confirmed from the photograph alone. The painting is housed in a dark/black stepped wooden frame.
Est. Current Value
Spotted works by René Magritte
Artists in conversation
Paul Delvaux
Belgian · b. 1897
Delvaux painted meticulously rendered nocturnal architectural scenes with glowing artificial light beneath moonlit or twilight skies, creating the same eerie coexistence of illuminated darkness and luminous sky that defines L'empire des lumières. His dreamlike Belgian townscapes share Magritte's poetic realism and philosophical stillness.
Edward Hopper
American · b. 1882
Hopper obsessively explored artificial light spilling from windows and street lamps against darkened urban and suburban scenes, producing the same psychological tension between warm interior glow and surrounding darkness that anchors Magritte's composition. His precise architectural rendering and melancholic mood closely echo the specific atmosphere of this work.
Eric Fischl
American · b. 1948
Fischl paints bourgeois residential settings rendered in a convincing realist style that conceals an unsettling psychological undercurrent, mirroring the way Magritte uses ordinary suburban architecture and familiar light to generate profound unease. His works share the specific combination of technical precision and philosophical provocation found in this painting.
Start the Discussion
Request access to join the discussion