The Labors of Alexander (Les Travaux d'Alexandre)

ca. 1950

Rene Magritte Belgian, 1898-1967

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About the Artwork

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Provenance

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

Title The Labors of Alexander (Les Travaux d'Alexandre)

Artwork Date ca. 1950

Artist Rene Magritte

Life Dates 1898-1967

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Belgian

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Brown pencil on paper

Dimensions Image: 18 1/2 × 15 3/8 inches (47 × 39.1 cm) Sheet: 21 5/8 × 18 1/16 inches (54.9 × 45.9 cm)

Classification Drawings

Department Prints, Drawings & Photographs

Credit Gift of the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Collection

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2023.544

Markings

Inscriptions Inscribed, in pencil, lower center verso: Je certifie que ce dessin “Les travaux d’alexandre” | ca été fait par mon mari René Magritte | Georgette Magritte

Provenance

Margareth Krebs, Brussels;
acquired by (The Piccadilly Gallery, London, United Kingdom);
October 1989-1995, acquired by (Landau Fine Art, Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada);
1995-2020, purchased by Gilbert B. Silverman [1925-2016] and Lila Silverman [1933-2020] (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA);
2020-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA), accessioned to the collection in 2023

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Kvaran, Gunnar B. and Jon Hendricks. After the Beginning and Before the End: Instruction Drawings From the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Collection, Detroit. Exh. cat., Bergen Kunstmuseum. Bergen, 2001, cat. 430, p. 94 (ill.), p. 166.

Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper. Sales cat., Christie’s, New York, May 5, 2011, no. 189.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Rene Magritte, The Labors of Alexander (Les Travaux d'Alexandre), ca. 1950, brown pencil on paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Collection, 2023.544.