By Carter B. Horsley

The Latin American Art auctions May 28 and May 29, 2008 at Christie's feature numerous fine works by Leonora Carrington, one of the world's great Surrealists, and excellent works by Rufino Tamayo, Pedro Coronel, Francisco Toledo, Claudio Bravo and Wilfredo Lam.

The evening sale sold 83 percent of the 80 lots offered and the day sale sold 82 percent of the offered lots. The two-day total was $33,862,360 and Christie's expert Virgilio Garza described the auction as "historic," adding that it demonstrates "the vitality and vigorous ascent of the Latin American art market.

The cover illustration of the auction's catalogue is Lot 25, "Juggler," by Leonora Carrington (b. 1917). An oil on canvas, it is 37 1/2 inches squareand although it is not one of her more colorful works, it is a very full and detailed composition. It was painted in 1954 and has an estimate is $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $713,000, nicely above the artist's previous auction of $633,600 set July 18, 2007 at Christie's.

A more colorful and simpler composition by Carrington is Lot 27, "Step-Sister's Hen," an oil and tempera on wood panel that measures 36 by 20 3/4 inches. It was painted in 1952 and has a modest estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. It sold for $361,000.

Lot 32 is a very strong work by David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) that is entitled "Sol Mar-Tierra." A pyroxilin on board, it measures 47 3/4 by 82 1/4 inches, it was executed in 1971. It has a modest estimate of $70,000 to $90,000. It sold for $193,000. It is a study for his most ambitious mural cycle, "La Marcha de la Humanidad for the Politoforum Cultural Siqueiros."

Lot 18 is an early and bright oil on canvas by Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) that is entitled "Trovador." An oil on canvas, it measures 60 3/8 by 50 inches and was executed in 1945. It has been consigned by Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. It was once in the collection of Stephen C. Clark. It wasexhibited at the Valentine Gallery in New York in early 1946. It sold for $7,209,000, a world auction record for a Latin American artist. Tamayo's previous auction record was $2,587,600 set May 17, 1993 at Christie's in New York.

A far better Tamayo at least in terms of technique and style is Lot 56, "Fantasma (Ghostly Apparition), an oil, sand, and marble dust on canvas that measures 51 by 37 1/4 inches. Created in 1982, it has been consigned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to benefit its acquisitions of Latin American Art. It has an estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $541,000.

The catalogue entry by Abby McEwen remarks that "Celebrated for his color, Tamayo shows here his refinement and intelligence as a colorist. Within the limited palette of grey he draws out a richness of tones that suggests the ambiguities of beig and of life itself....Gey becomes an intimate metaphor for Tamayo's existential preoccupations, and in Ghost its grounded emotional range finds a natural complement in the gravity and quietude with which the artist treats his subject."

A two-panel of curtains by Claudio Bravo (b. 1936), Lot 50, "Annunciation," had an estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000. Each panel of oil on canvas measures 78 1/4 by 59 inches. The work was completed in 1998. It sold for $1,273,000.

Lot 54, "La familia de elefantes," by Francisco Toledo (b. 1940), is an watercolor and ink on paper that measures 22 by 29 3/4 inches. Executed in 1977, it has an estimate of $180,000 to $220,000. One of his simpler but always lovely compositions, it sold for $265,000.

Lot 41 is a large oil on canvas by Pedro Coronel (1923-1985) that is entitled "La Guerra Florida." It measures 44 by 106 inches and was painted in 1958. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $457,000, significantly higher than the artist's previous auction record of $307,200 set at Christie's in May, 2005.

The catalogue provides the following commentary:

"In the aftermath of the Second World War, a new generation of Mexican artists started to resist the institutionalization of the Mexican School and the didacticism of the muralist movement, felt to be too insular and propagandistic. Taking a cue from the constructive colorism of Rufino Tamayo, the young artists of La Ruptura, led by José Luis Cuevas and Pedro Coronel, reacted against what Cuevas called the 'Cactus Curtain,' and declared their art to be "against vulgarity and mediocrity. Against superficiality and conformity. Against the standardized opinions that are parroted over and over again....Champions of artistic freedom, this nascent avant-garde opened Mexico to international trends, from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, and catalyzed the neofiguration of the 1950s, which saw the return to an expressionist portrayal of the human figure in the work of Coronel and his contemporaries."

Lot 3 is a strong small oil on canvas by Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982). Entitled "Untitled (Idoli)," it is an oil on canvas that measures 19 7/8 by 15 3/4 inches and was painted circa 1968. It has an estimate of $85,000 to $120,000. It sold for $193,000.

Lot 24 is a very good composition by Matta (1911-2002) that is an oil on canvas that measures 25 3/8 by 31 5/8 inches. Painted in 1949, it has a modest estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. It sold for $289,000.

Lot 30 is a very striking and excellent abstraction by Gunther Gerzso (1915-2000). Entitled "Muro Gris - Paisaje de Grecia," it is an oil on masonite that measures 19 1/8 by 23 1/8 inches. Painted in 1962, it has a modest estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $103,000.

Lot 44 is a very nice, Braquesque work by Juan Soriano (1920-2006) entitled "Lupe Marin V." An oil on canvas, it measures 88 by 34 1/2 inches. Lupe is the short name for Guadalupe and Guadalupe Marin Preciado was the second wife of Diego Rivera. Painted in 1962, it has a conservative estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $97,000.

Lot 45 is an immensely charming abstract painting of two red bicycles by Soriano. Painted in 1955, it is an oil and tempera on canvas that mreasures 36 by 46 inches. It has a modest estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $217,000, breaking the artist's former auction record of $96,000 that was set May 31, 2007 at Christie's in New York.

Lot 28 is a large abstraction in gold leaf on wood by Mathias Goeritz (1915-1990). Entitled "Mensaje," it measures 53 1/8 by 48 inches and was executed circa 1959. It comes from the Casa Prieto-Lopez by Luis Barragan, the great architect who often collaborated with Goeritz. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $265,000 and is as stunning as a similar work by Yves Klein that sold for millions of dollars this season.

Lot 113 is a superb Modernist work by Mario Carreño (1913-1999), entitled "Metalurgico." A pastel and charcoal on paper, it measures 25 1/2 by 19 1/2 inches. Executed in 1938, it has a modest estimate of $20,000 to $25,000. It sold for $49,000.

A wonderful gouache and ink on paper that was designed by Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982) for an exhibition catalogue, Lot 114," measures 24 by 31 1/2 inches and is a very fine example of his art. It has a modest estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $73,000.

Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington are the two greatest female Latin American artists after Frida Kahlo and both are captured in interesting photographs by Kati Horna (1912-2000). Lot 139 depicts Varo around 1957 wearing a mask made by Carrington and Horta and Lot 140 depicts Carrington in a Italian Renaissance setting and was made in 1987. Lot 139 has a modest estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. It sold for $15,000. Lot 140 has an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $20,000.

Lot 141 is a "red mask" created by Carrington circa 1950. It measures 22 1/2 by 21 1/2 by 2 inches. It has an estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $38,000.

Another Carrington creation is Lot 142, "Lepidoptero (also known as To Be an Insect)," a painted wood sculpture created circa 1952. It measures 28 by 6 1/2 by 6 inches. It has an estimate of $25,000 to $30,000. It sold for $27,400.

Lot 143, "Brothers," is a Carrington painting on wood panel that measures 21 1/4 by 36 inches. Created in 1953 it is one of her more simple and less imaginative works. The "brothers" are the artist's two sons, Gabriel and Pablo. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $169,000.

Lot 144 is a small oil on board by Carrington entitled "Myth of 1,000 Eyes." It measures only 4 7/8 bu 3 1/4 inches and was painted circa 1950. Despite its small size, it has a formidable presence. It has a modest estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $27,400.

Lot 146, "Les Eviteurs," is not as abstract and surreal as many compositions by Matta (1911-2002) but it has a marvelous cool geometry. An oil on canvas, it measures 34 1/2 by 47 1/3 inches and was painted in 1958. It has an estimate of $70,000 to $90,000. It sold for $121,000.

The cover illustration of the day auction catalogue is Lot 152, "Los alucinados," by Pedro Coronel (1923-1985). An oil on canvas, it measures 7 1 3/8 by 55 inches and was painted in 1959. It has an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $385,000.

Lot 154 is a striking portrait of Diego Rivera's second wife by Juan Soriano (1920-2006). Entitled "Lupe Marín No. X," it is an oil on canvas that measures 34 1/2 by 35 1/4 inches. Painted in 1967, it has a modest estimate of $35,000 to $45,000. It sold for $55,000.

Lot 225 is an intriguing and very good oil and sand on burlap by Francisco Toledo (b. 1940). Entitled "Person in Red #2," it measures 16 1/2 by 13 inches and was executed circa 1962-3. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $25,000. It sold for $39,400.

Lot 227 is a strong composition entitled "Murcielago cobrizo" by Francisco Toledo. A gouache and copper leaf on paper, it measures 11 1/4 by 15 inches and was executed in 2002. It has a modest estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $29,800.

Lot 229 is a good small work by Rufino Tamayo entitled "Cabeza." An oil and sand on canvas, it measures 12 by 9 7/8 inches and was painted in 1972. It has a modest estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for 193,000.