Stories & Videos

Specialist Picks: Latin American Modern & Contemporary Art

Launch Slideshow

From luminous paintings to superlative works on paper to photographs by a leading Surrealist artist, these two dedicated sales bring together the most impressive names and movements across Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art. Featuring 88 lots, there is truly something for every taste. Here, specialists from Sotheby's Latin American Art department – Axel Stein, Andrea Zorrilla and Emily Nice – share their favourite works.

Latin America: Modern Art Online
02–26 May | Online

Latin America: Contemporary Art Online
02–26 May | Online

Specialist Picks: Latin American Modern & Contemporary Art

  • Cândido Portinari, Berger avec une chèvre. Estimate $20,000–30,000.
    "One of my favourite works in the sale is this lovely drawing by Cândido Portinari. This sweet, bucolic scene of a young shepherd tending to a baby goat is a classic example of Portinari’s affinity for rural Brazil, and I love the tenderness he captures here between the two of them." –Emily Nice, Associate Cataloguer Latin American Art

    Share
  • Leonora Carrington, Untitled. Estimate $15,000–20,000.
    "One of the more interesting works in the Modern Art sale is Leonora Carrington’s drawing, lot 105. She was a rebel both in her approach to life and her art. This drawing gives you a window into her non-conformist tendency. There is a cloaked figure reading a book titled Manners and Tone in Good Society, which is total Carrington wit: her wry and satirical sense of humour towards the expectations of 'good society' contained and presented within a fantastic Surrealist context." –Andrea Zorrilla, Specialist Latin American Art

    Share
  • Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Five Photographs. Estimate $15,000–20,000.
    "One of my favourite lots in this sale is the group of five signed photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, the most important Mexican photographer in the past century. In 'Día de los muertos,' the image of the sugar skull with the word Amor (love) brings forth all kind of suggestive metaphors, while in 'Nieves,' the senseless pose of the nude model suggests de-personification; rather than a female nude, we are looking at an object, a rag doll on a shelf." –Axel Stein, Head of Department Latin American Art

    Share
  • Gego, Tejedura 90/48. Estimate $18,000–22,000.
    "One of my favourite works in this sale is the Tejedura 90/48 by Gego. I love how you can see Gego’s life-long curiosity with materials here – she actually chose to use the gold cellophane wrappers from the top of cigarette boxes in addition to cut strips of magazine pictures and her own prints. The work is both delicate and ephemeral, while also being exacting, careful and precise – it's definitely a nod to her academic training as an architect and engineer. These are quite rare to come across, which makes having a Tejedura that much more special." –Andrea Zorrilla, Specialist Latin American Art



     



     

    Share
  • Julio Le Parc, Relief 29. Estimate $10,000–15,000.
    "This fantastic edition by Le Parc was issued at the height of his career, from the famed Parisian kinetic gallerist Denise René. I love the way this work changes constantly as you move around it in the gallery, creating infinite different compositions with just light, mirrors and simple geometric forms. And as an added bonus – it came to us in its original Editions Denise René box!" –Emily Nice, Associate Cataloguer Latin American Art

    Share
  • Jorge Eielson, Dal clavicembalo ben temperato di J.S. Bach, Fuga IV. Estimate $25,000–35,000.
    "One of my favourite lots in the Contemporary Art sale is lot 240. Jorge Eielson (1924-2006) was a Peruvian artist who lived in Milan, Italy for many years. The inspiration for his compositions with 'knots' comes from the Quipu, an Inca numerical system to track census records, calendric information and the movement of goods throughout the Empire. In this particular one, Eielson has used printed fabric with a Bach composition. For the viewer and music readers, things get complicated as the music sheet folds and wraps toward the lower part, disappearing altogether in a silent finale. In the next few months, Jorge Eielson’s work will be presented in a retrospective exhibition at the Americas Society."
 –Axel Stein, Head of Department Latin American Art

    Share
/
Close