Les Chasseurs au Bord de la Nui (The Hunters at the Edge of the Night), a painting by Rene Magritte, will lead a sale at Christie's with a £6m-9m ($9.8m-14.8m) estimate.
The work will headline the Art of the Surreal sale, which will take place in London on February 4.
 The work has been exhibited in many of the world's most important museums |
Dating to 1928, the painting is a significant contribution to Magritte's work, and has been exhibited widely. It depicts the titular hunters in paroxysms of terror, while apparently being swallowed by a wall.
Magritte (1898-1967) is regarded as one of the most important artists who worked under the umbrella of surrealism - with his distinctive paintings offering an unsettling take on the nature of reality.
Olivier Camu, deputy chairman of impressionist and modern art at Christie's, commented: "25 years on from holding the inaugural standalone Dada and Surrealism sale and 14 years since Christie's established its annual auction in the field, the global demand for this pioneering movement continues to go from strength to strength.
"Surrealist art now commands the attention of the international art market from across many collecting categories, from Old Masters to Contemporary art. We are proud to present this rich array of exemplary works, led by a monumental early Magritte".
In 2012, Magritte's Les Jours Gigantesques sold for £7.2m ($11.3m) at Christie's London.
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