Lot Essay
La folie Almayer, one of eight gouaches executed by Magritte for Hodes in 1959, is a close variant of an oil of 1951 now in a private collection (W. & R. 759). In a letter of 9 May 1951, Magritte discusses the genesis of this image: "..and, moving from one thing to another, after choosing Theatre Root (Racine), House Root, I have chosen the picture: Roots of feudal towers" (ibid., p. 181). The image of a feudal tower closely recalls an illustration Magritte had executed for one of Eluard's poems in 1946 entitled Vieillir.
The title of the painting, taken from a novel by Joseph Conrad, was chosen either by Scutenaire or Nougé.
The title of the painting, taken from a novel by Joseph Conrad, was chosen either by Scutenaire or Nougé.