Detail of Lot 22
It has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for $3,301,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
The sale total was $25,499,750.
Lot 99, "Untitled (Liquid Landscape)," by Remedios Varo, oil and gouache on paper, 14 5/8 by 12 inches
Another
good work by Varo is Lot 99, "Untitled (Liquid Landscape)," an oil and
gouache on paper that measures 14 5/8 by 12 inches. It is
property from the collection of Roy and Mary Cullen. It has a
modest estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $106,250.
Lot 39, "Mujer con Sandia," by Rufino Tamayo, oil on canvas, 51 1/4 by 38 inches, 1959
Lot
39 is a very good oil on canvas by Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) entitled
"Mujer con Sandia." It measures 51 1/4 by 38 inches and was
painted in 1959. It was included in an exhibition on Tamayo at
Knoedler's in 1959.
In his catalogue commentary on this
lot, Juan Carlos Pereda observed that "an angular woman defined by a
pulsating patchwork of strident pink brushstrokes faces forward,
offering us a slice of the artist's signature leitmotif, the vibrant
red watermelon. Hardly the soft sensuous female nude found
throughout European art thistory, this erect, rigidly rendered woman
suggests the stolid geometric figures of pre-Columbian art, of which
Tamayo was an avid collector."
Detail of Lot 39
The lot has an estimate of $700,000 to $900,000. It sold for $1,325,000.
Lot 25, "The Astronauts," by Rufino Tamayo, oil on canvas, 51 by 75 inches, 1971
A
more interesting Tamayo is Lot 25, "The Astronauts," an oil on canvas
from 1971 that measures 51 by 75 inches. It is property of the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art that has inexplicably been regularly
deaccesssioning superb works by Tamayo.
The catalogue
entry notes that "Tamayo's description of outer space is startlingly
joyous," adding that "his blues are brilliant and jewel-tone, and his
spaceships are elegant vehichles that spring symmetrically from the
center of the composition mimicking toy airplanes, rather than the
rockets that had done up into the stratosphere since the race for space
began in the late 1950s.
The lot has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $785,000.
Lot 35, "Lavanderas con Zopilotes," by Diego Rivera, oil on canvas, 33 1/2 by 25 1/2 inches, 1928Lot
35 is an excellent oil on canvas by Diego Rivera (1886-1957) entitled
"Lavanderas con Zopilotes." It measures 33 1/2 by 25 1/2 inches
and was painted in 1928.
In his catalogue entry for this
lot, Professor Luis-Martin notes that "In the background, almost
magically suspended and in blunt contrast, black vultures or zopilotes,
scavenge for good," adding that "Rivera's modernist flat composition
and his color palettte of stark hues of orange-yellow, red, and subtle
violet that leads to blue and finally to black, aid in creating a
contemplative mood." "Indeed," he continued, "the artist's
expressionistic use of yellow, perhaps symbolic of the harshness of
nature, highlights the figures and zopilotes, which embody the
extraordinary resilience of all living things. Zopilotes or king
vultures appear in the glyphs in Maya codices and feature prominently
in the frescoes of Mayan temples....Ultimately, Lavanderas con zopilotes
pays homage to the dignity of work and especially the back-breaking
labor of underclass women whose faces, as in this painting, are unseen."
It has an estimate of $700,000 to $900,000. It sold for $1,049,000.
Lot 94, "Maria Felix, El Amor," by Diego Rivera, watercolor on rice paper, 11 by 8 1/2 inches, 1949Lot
94 is a very vibrant watercolor on rice paper by Rivera of "Maria
Felix, El Amor." It measures 11 by 8 1/2 inches and was painted
in 1949. It is property from the collection of Roy and Mary
Cullen. It has an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $30,000.
Lot
82, "Organic Pink," by Bosco Sodi, mixed media (pure pigment, sawdust,
wood pulp, natural fibers, water and glue) on canvas, 98 1/2 by 138 by
3 inches, 2009Lot
82 is an engulfing work by Bosco Sodi (b. 1970) entitled "Organic Pink"
that makes one wonder what the fashion magazine editor in the movie
"Funny Face" who ordered her minions to "Think Pink" would gasp when
she was confronted by this staggering pinkitude. It is a mixed
media work of pure pigment, sawdust, wood pulp, natural fibers, water
and glue on paper and measures an immodest 98 1/2 by 138 inches by 3
inches. It was created in 2009. It has a modest estimate
$35,000 to $45,000. It sold for $81,250.
Lot 57, "Red Paper," by Claudio Bravo, oil on canvas, 39 1/4 by 47 inches, 2007
Lot
57 is a very good work by Claudio Bravo (1936-2011) that is
entitled "Red Paper." An oil on canvas, it measures 39 1/4 by 47
inches and was painted in 2007. It has an estimate of $500,000 to
$700,000. It sold for $1,385,000.
Lot 80, "Parte de Parte, triptych, 78 3/4 by 44 5/8 inches, by Los Carpinteros, 2008Los
Carpinteros is a Cuban collective of Marco Antonio Castilloo Valdés,
Dagoberto Rodriguez Sanches and Alexandro that was formed in 1991.
Lot 80 is entitled "Parte de Parte" and is a triptych that
measures 78 3/4 by 44 5/8 inches. It was created in 2008.
It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $75,000.
Lot 67, "Dibujo sin Papel," by Gego, steel wire and metal joints, 36 by 36 by 1 inch, 1985
Lot 67, "Dibujo sin
Papel," by Gego (1912-1994),is a steel wire and metal joints construction
by Gego (1912-1994) that measures 36 by 36 by 1 inch. It was created in 1985.
In her catalogue entry on the lot, Abby McEwen wrote that "in her
Drawings Without Paper, Gego gives visibility to these interstitial,
and conceptually infinite spaces cultivated in an through the lines,
subtly shaping transparency and light. The suppleness and
elasticity of her twisted and knotted wires, oscillating every so
slightly in the air, conjure new volumes out of the grid, expanding and
equilibrating the synergy of 'in-between lines' and the spaces
everywhere around them."
The lot has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $701,000, a world auction record for the artist.
Lot
53, "Objeto Cinético CK-8," by Abraham Palatnik, stainless steel,
industrial paint, wood and motor, 47 1/4 by 15 3/4 by 15 3/4
inches, 1966/2005
Lot
53 is a fine and colorful geometric sculpture by Abraham Palatnik (b.
1928) entitled "Objeto Cinético CK-8." The stainless steel,
industrial paint, wood and motor sculpture measures 47 1/4 by 15 3/4 by
15 3/4 inches and was created in 1966-2005. It is numbered one of
an edition of 7. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
It failed to sell.
Lot 24, "Pintor y Modelo," by Francisco Corzas, oil on canvas, 51 by 74 inches, 1968Lot
24 is a handsome oil on canvas by Francisco Corzas (1936-1983) entitled
"Pintor y Modelo." It measures 51 by 74 inches and was painted in
1968. It has an estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. It sold for $161,000.
Lot 47, "The Sky Above the City," by Alice Rahon," oil and sand on canvas, 23 7/8 by 28 7/8 inches, 1945Lot
47 is a wonderful oil and sand on canvas by Alice Rahon (1904-1987).
Entitled "The Sky Above the City," it measures 23 7/8 by 28 7/8
inches and was painted in 1945. This work was exhibited at the
Los Angeles County Art Museum in 2012 in an exhibition about "The
Surrealists Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico City and the United
States."
Detail of Lot 47It has an modest estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $32,500.
Lot
30, "La Rencontree du Vitreur Avec Le Forcat de la Lumiere (En
Hallucination Premiere)," by Matta, oil on canvas, 76 by 98 inches, 1946Lot
30 is a large, unusual and awesome Matta oil on canvas entitled "La
Rencontre du Vitreur Avec Le Forcat de la Lumiere (En Hallucination
Premiere)." It measures 76 by 98 inches and was painted in 1946.
In her catalogue essay, Susan L. Aberth provides the following commentary on this lot:
"Peopled
with utterly alien, totemistic figures, the space...omits the natural
references and luminous veils of color of his earlier work from the
1940s. In lieu of this is the nightmarish world of the factory,
replete with metallic conveyor belts that capture and pierce the flesh
of these monstrous creatures. Although operating as a metaphor
for the impersonal killing machines of modern warfare, it could also
refer to the murderous efficiencies of the German death camps.
Apocalytic in feeling it is a hell of our own making, devoid of
divine justice, rationality or even human presence. The neutral
beige of the bacikground, in combination with the dull rays and
glinting blues, serves to highlight the pinks and reds of the splayed
wounded and mutilated 'body' parts that remain mercifully abstract.
Dark brown lines circle and swirl around these figures, adding to
the sense of entrapment and chaos. Sexual sadism has its usual
diabolical place in this modern hell as genders morph and combine in a
Bosch-like marnner while from slashed genitals and tongues blood grimly
drips. Matta called these figues vitreurs and they were inspired by a variety of written and visual sources: André Breton's new muth of the Great Invisibles written in 1942, the totems of the Northwest Coast Indians, and even the elongated sculpture of Alberto Giacometti ...."
The lot has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $941,000.
Lot 155, "Morning Wrest (Study for 'To Cover the Earth with a New Dew')," by Matta, oil on canvas, 29 1/4 by 39 1/4 inches, 1953A
smaller and more conventional albeit still sensational Matta is Lot
155, "Morning Wrest (Study for "To Cover the Earth with a New Dew," is
an oil on canvas that measures 29 1/4 by 39 1/4 inches. It was
painted in 1953. It is being sold by the Hirschhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden to benefit its acquisitions program. It has a
modest estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $185,000.
Lot 158, "Coup pour Coup," by Matta, oil on canvas, 40 1/2 by 36 1/4 inches, 1971Lot
158 is a strong yet simple composition by Matta entitled "Coup pur
Coup," an oil on canvas that measures 40 1/2 by 36 1/4 inches. It
demonstrates his astounding luminosity and strength of line. It was
painted in 1971. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $60,000.
Lot 204, "Untitled," by Roberto Burle Max, oil on canvas, 43 3/4 by 57 3/4 inches, 1986Lot
204 is a superb untitled oil on canvas by Roberto Burle Marx
(1909-1994) that conjures a great Braque still life as depicted by
Matta. It measures 43 3/4 by 57 34 inches and was painted in
1986. It has an modest estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $37,500.
Lot 203, "Stela," by Gunther Gerzso, oil on canvas, 24 by 20 inches, 1958
Lot
203 is a nice oil on canvas by Gunther Gerzso (1915-2000) entitled
"Stela." It measures 24 by 20 inches and was painted in 1958.
It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $56,250.
Lot 125, "Figura Festiva," by Oswaldo Vigas, oil on canvas, 43 1/2 by 31 1/2 inches, 1999
Lot
125 is a fine oil on canvas by Oswaldo Vigas (1926-2014) entitled
"Figura Festiva." It measures 43 1/2 by 31 1/2 inches and was
painted in 1999. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $40,000.
Lot 70, "Fachada (No. 1342)," by Alfredo Volpi, tempera on canvas, 23 1/4 inches square, circa 1970Lot
70 is an attractive tempera on canvas by Alfredo Volpi (1896-1988).
It is entitled "Facada (No. 1342) and it measures 23 1/4 inches
square. It was painted circa 1870. It has an estimate of
$200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $215,000.
Lot
251, "Untitled (from the series Hacha de Doble Filo)," by Manuel
Mendive, painted metal, acrylic, cowrie shells and thread on
canvas in metal frame," 75 1/2 by 67 1/2, 2010Lot
251 is a large painted metal, acrylic, cowrie shells and thread on
canvas in metal frame by Manuel Mendive (b. 1944). It is entitled
"Untitled (from the series Hacha de Doble Filo)" and it measures 75 1/2
by 67 1/2 inches. It was created in 2010. It has an
estimate of $25,000 to $30,000. It sold for $68,750.
Lor 191, "Untitled," by David Alfaro Siquieros, oil on paper laid down on masonite, 12 1/2 by 10 1/8 inches, 1964Lot
191 is a good small, untitled oil on paper laid down on masonite by
David Alfaro Siquieros. It measures 12 1/2 by 10 1/8 inches and
was painted in 1964. It has an estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $20,000.
Lot 23, "Landscape in Blue," by David Alfaro Siquieros, oil on wood board, 26 by 40 inches, 1969
Lot
23 is a swirling abstract composition by David Alfaro Siquieros
(1896-1974) that is entitled "Landscape in Blue." It measures 26
by 40 inches and was painted in 1969. It has an estimate of
$50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $87,500.
