PARIS.- On October 23, Moderne(s), une collection particulière européenne will inaugurate Christie's highly anticipated week of 20th/ 21st century fall art auctions during Art Basel Paris.

Comprising around 40 works from a single European collection, this prestigious sale will spotlight the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. It will be followed that same evening by Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian – the most significant sale of the year in Paris. On October 24, two-day sales will take place: one dedicated to Impressionist and Modern Art, and the other to Post-War and Contemporary art.

Christie's unveiled three major highlights from the Moderne(s), une collection particulière européenne sale: La Passerelle Debilly by Paul Signac (€4,000,000-6,000,000), Le Ciel Passe dans l'Air by René Magritte (€1,000,000-2,000,000) and Fruit d'une Longue Expérience by Max Ernst (€800,000-1,200,000). These works set the tone for what promises to be an exceptional week. A full program will be announced this fall.

Paul Signac (1863-1935) La Passerelle Debilly, oil on canvas 65.2 x 81 cm, 1903. Estimate: €4,000,000-6,000,000

Connecting the Quai de New York to the Quai Branly during the 1900 Universal Exhibition, the Passerelle Debilly is an essential element of the Parisian landscape - immortalized on film and more recently, by the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Painted in 1903, this work was a gift from Paul Signac to his friend Henri Edmond Cross, a fellow Pointillist painter and kindred spirit in libertarian ideals. The two artists, who shared much in common, had a profound influence on the Fauves, particularly Henri Matisse and André Derain. The painting later belonged to art critic and journalist Félix Fénéon. Exhibited at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris and more recently at the Fondation de l'Hermitage in Lausanne, the work has not appeared on the market for over 65 years. It is estimated at €4,000,000 – 6,000,000.

René Magritte (1898-1967), Le Ciel passe dans l'air, oil on canvas 50.2 x 64.9 cm, 1927. Estimate: €1,000,000-2,000,000

In 1927, René Magritte held his first solo exhibition at Le Centaure gallery in Brussels - an important milestone in his career and in the development of Surrealism in Belgium. Paul Nougé – the poet, founder and theorist of Surrealism, and a close associate of René Magritte wrote the exhibition catalogue's preface. He referenced this very painting in a letter to Magritte that same year.

Acquired in 1927 by the Galerie de L'Époque in Brussels, the work was later exhibited in 1966 at Albert Loeb & Krugier in New York as part of the Homage to Silence or Metaphysica exhibition. It is estimated at €1,000,000 – 2,000,000.

Max Ernst (1891-1976) Fruit d'une longue expérience, Assembly of painted wood and metal bonding 45.7 x 38 cm, 1919. Estimate: €800,000-1,200,000

In 1919, at the age of 28, Max Ernst created Fruit d'une longue experience. Recently demobilized, Ernst became involved with the Dada movement, met Paul Klee and began producing his first paintings. This work – an assemblage of painted wood and meal bonding- demonstrates the technical and artistic innovations that would define his career. Ernst gifted the piece to poet Paul Éluard in 1938, underscoring their deep personal and artistic bond. Éluard later sold it to Roland Penrose, a key figure in both the Dada and Surrealist movements.

Held in the same private collection for 50 years, the work is now estimated at €800,000- 1,200,000.