By Carter B. Horsley

This Latin American Art auction at Sotheby's May 29 and 30, 2008 is highlighted by some superb works by Joaquin Torres-Garcia, Leonora Carrington, Wildredo Lam, Rufino Tamayo, Gunther Gerzso and good works by David Alfaro Siqueiros and Benito Quinquela Martin and Dayman Autúnez.

Lot 141 is a very stark and bold study by David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) for his Mexico City mural "La Marcha de la Humanidad, Poliforum Siqueiros." An pyroxilin and acrylic on paper laid down on board, it measures 25 by 19 3/4 inches and was executed in 1968. It is property from the collection of Bert Van Bork, a cinematographer who produced a film on the artist in 1969 for Encyclopedia Britannica Films. The painting has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It failed to sell.

The sale was very successful with 88.3 percent of the 276 offered lots selling for $28,141,600, the highest total for Latin American Art in Sotheby's history. Auction records were set for 25 artists.

Lot 15 is a fine Barcelona scene by Joaquin Torres-Garcia (1874-1949). An oil on board, it measures 20 3/8 by 28 inches and was painted in 1918. It has an estimate of $250,000 to $300,000. It sold for $301,000.

Lot 21 is a strong abstraction by Joaquin Torres-Garcia that is entitled "Constructif Mysterieux." An oil on canvas, it measures 39 5/8 by 25 5/8 inches and was painted in 1932. It has an estimate of $1,100,000 to $1,400,000. It sold for $1,721,000, a new auction record for the artist.

Lot 59 is a good oil and sand on canvas by Rufino Tamayo entitled "Retrato Matrimonial." It measures 38 1/8 by 51 inches and was painted in 1959. It is property of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and is being sold to benefit acquisitions of Latin American Art. It has an estimate of $300,000 to $350,000. It sold for $553,000.

Lot 13 is a dramatic oil on canvas by Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) that is entitled "El Comedorde Sandias." It measures 39 by 31 5/8 inches and was painted in 1949. The work, which has been widely exhibited and published, has an estimate of $2,000,000 to $2,200,000. It sold for $3,625,000.

Lot 164 is an amusing small oil on canvas by Tamayo that is entitled "El Payaso." It measures 10 1/8 by 12 1/4 inches and was painted in 1960. It is property of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and is being sold to benefit acquisitions of Latin American Art. It has a modest estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $157,000.

Lot 55, "Mensaje," by Mathias Goeritz (1915-1990), is a monochromatic small painting in gold leaf that measures 16 7/8 by 18 3/8 by 1 1/4 inches. It was painted circa 1961 and is very, very similar to ""MG9," a large monochromatic gold leaf by Yves Klein (1928-1962) that sold May 14, 2008 at Sotheby's for $23,561,000, a world auction record for the artist. The Klein, Lot 13, measured 57 1/2 by 44 7/8 inches and was executed circa 1962. The Goeritz painting has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $40,000.

One of the best works in the auction is Lot 102, "Constructivo con Personajes," by Dayman Antúnes (1917-1992). An oil on canvas, it measures 56 1/2 by 103 inches and was painted circa 1965. It has a conservative estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $115,000.

Lot 49 is a strong vertical abstraction by Gunther Gerzso entitled "Avia Negra." An oil and sand on canvas, it measures 57 by 38 1/8 inches. It has a modest estimate of $125,000 to $150,000. It sold for $217,000.

Lot 173 is a very strong abstraction by Gerzso. An oil on canvas, it measures 20 by 25 3/4 inches and was painted in 1998. It has an estimate of $90,000 to $120,000. It sold for $133,000.

Lot 27, "Escenografia para El Rey Se Muere Dirigido Por Jodorowsky," is a fascinating gouache, watercolor, graphiteand chalk on cardboard by Leonora Carrington (b. 1917). The lot measures 18 3/8 by 29 7/8 inches and was created circa 1969-1971. It has a modest estimate of $80,000 to $100,000. It sold for $103,000, an auction record for the artist for a work on paper.

Lot 198 is a quite, atypical and strong, free-form abstraction by Matta that was painted circa 1966-7. Entitled "Verifie les Recontres," it is an oil on canvas that measures 46 3/8 by 60 5/8 inches. It has a very modest estimate of $70,000 to $90,000. It sold for $145,000.

Lot 29 is a very good abstraction by Matta (1912-2002) that is notable for its cool, blue palette. An oil on canvas, it measures 57 by 80 inches. Painted in 1958, it has an modest estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. It sold for $601,000.

Lot 28 is a very strong and fine work by Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982). An oil on burlap, it measures 39 1/2 by 55 3/4 inches. Painted in 1964, it has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $713,000.

Lot 251 is a very handsome pair of sculptures entitled "L'Oiseau de feu" by Wilfredo Lam. One is chrome-plated and the other is polished bronze and both are 10 3/8 inches high and were created in 1970. The lot has a very modest estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $37,000.

Lot 66 is a complex composition of the Buenos aires waterfront by Benito Quinquela Martin (1890-1977). An oil on canvas, it measures 45 7/8 by 66 1/2 inches. It has a modest estimate of $90,000 to $120,000. It sold for $421,000, more than five times the artist's previous auction record.

Lot 11 is a handsome, untitled cylindrical work by Rodolfo Morales (1925-2001) that is a wrapped oil on canvas that measures 78 1/8 inches high and 16 1/4 inches in diameter. It hasan estimate of $80,000 to $100,000. It sold for $157,000.