Editor’s Note
This report details the success of Sotheby’s recent “Surrealism and Its Legacy” auction in Paris, which achieved the second-highest total in the category for the house in France. The standout result was a record-breaking sale for a Magritte painting, underscoring the enduring market strength of iconic Surrealist works.
On October 24, Sotheby’s Paris held the “Surrealism and Its Legacy” auction. Most lots exceeded their pre-sale estimates, with the total sales reaching 26.9 million euros (approximately 4.678 billion yen), making it the second-highest total for a Surrealism auction at Sotheby’s France. Notably, René Magritte’s “Black Magic” (1934) sold for 10.7 million euros (approximately 1.861 billion yen), double its estimate.
The most attention-grabbing piece in the sale was Salvador Dalí’s “Necklace of the Swirling Sea” (1963). The 18-karat gold necklace is sculpted into a wave-like form, adorned at the top with 67 diamonds and a large baroque cultured pearl. From the top hang tassels strung with 61 emerald and 61 sapphire beads, collectively evoking waves crashing on a golden shore. Dalí created gold and precious stone jewelry from 1941 to the 1970s, but aside from 39 pieces held by the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, comprehensive information is scarce, making this piece exceptionally rare.
The sale, led by Aurélie Vandevoorde, Head of Jewelry at Sotheby’s France, saw fierce bidding from around the world. The necklace ultimately sold for 736,600 euros (approximately 130 million yen), double its pre-sale estimate of 300,000 to 500,000 euros (approximately 53 to 90 million yen).
According to the provenance published by Sotheby’s, Dalí conceived the piece in 1954. It was later crafted in 1963 by Carlos Alemany, a New York jeweler and long-time collaborator of Dalí. That same year, it was purchased by San Schlumberger, who had just married oil scion Pierre Schlumberger. She subsequently became a major patron of Dalí, who painted her portrait multiple times between 1963 and 1965.
Pierre passed away in 1986 and San in 2007, after which their art and jewelry collection was entrusted to Sotheby’s. The “Necklace of the Swirling Sea” was first auctioned in 2014. Against an estimate of $100,000–150,000 (approximately 15–23 million yen at current exchange rates), it sold for $665,000 (approximately 100 million yen). The buyer was Anne Schlumberger, one of Pierre’s five children from his first marriage. Anne owned the piece until her death in April 2025, after which it was once again entrusted to Sotheby’s.
Anne, known as an architect, arts patron, and philanthropist, had her collection offered by Sotheby’s in several sales this autumn season. Among the highlights are rare works by Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne, for whom Anne was an early and key patron. A notable piece is the “Hippo Bar,” commissioned by Anne in 1976. It is a rare copper version created before the iconic bronze series featuring a bar counter inside a hippopotamus. It carries an estimate of $7 million (approximately 1.068 billion yen) and is scheduled for Sotheby’s New York’s Design sale series at its new headquarters on December 10.