Christie’s to hold Latin American art auction featuring masterpieces

Christie’s is hosting a Latin American art auction in New York, featuring outstanding works by masters such as Leonora Carrington, Fernando Botero and Rufino Tamayo. The event, with an estimated value of up to $20.2 million, reinforces global interest in this booming market.

New York, United States – Christie’s, the renowned auction house, has once again put the spotlight on Latin American art with a live sale taking place this Friday, February 28, in its Rockefeller Center gallery. The auction, which will include more than 50 lots, will present an exceptional selection of paintings, sculptures and works on paper spanning more than four centuries of artistic creation. Among the highlights are works by masters such as Diego Rivera (1886-1991), Wifredo Lam (1902-1982), Fernando Botero (1932-2023), Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991), Miguel Covarrubias (1904-1957) and Leonora Carrington (1917-2011), whose creations have left an indelible mark on the history of Latin American art.

The auction's star lot will be Ikon (1988), a painting by Leonora Carrington with an estimated price of between $1.2 and $1.8 million. This work, executed in tempera on panel, reflects the artist's interest in mysticism and surrealism, trends that defined her career. Carrington, who lived much of her life in Mexico after fleeing Europe during World War II, is renowned for her ability to fuse dreamlike elements with influences from Mexican culture. Ikon is a masterful example of her unique style, which combines human and animal forms in a composition full of symbolism and emotion.
In addition to Carrington, the auction will include notable works by Fernando Botero, such as Arcángel (1986), estimated at between $800,000 and $1.2 million. Botero, who died in 2023, is renowned for his unmistakable style, characterized by voluminous figures that defy traditional aesthetic conventions. His work is not only a reflection of his technical mastery, but also a social and political critique, addressing themes such as religion, violence and Latin American identity.

The auction will also pay tribute to notable artists such as Rufino Tamayo with his work Mujer con sandía (1959), valued between $800,000 and $1.2 million dollars. Tamayo, of Zapotec descent, knew how to integrate pre-Columbian influences with modern movements such as cubism and fauvism in his art. This painting, created in 1959, is a testament to his ability to fuse the local with the universal, exploring themes such as Mexicanness and cultural identity.

Likewise, one of the works highlighted for its uniqueness is Juchitecas bailar el son (1947) by Miguel Covarrubias valued between $80,000 and $150,000 dollars. Covarribias is a prominent Mexican painter, caricaturist and art historian, and was a key figure in the cultural exchange between Mexico and the United States after World War I. She devoted much of her life to the ethnographic study of indigenous cultures, captured in her work Mexico South: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec (1946). Through her detailed descriptions and paintings, she highlighted the cultural richness of the Zapotec people, especially in their celebrations and clothing, reflecting their pride and connection to ancestral traditions.

The sale's cover lot, Bin Bin Lady Dakar Swatch by María Magdalena Campos-Pons (1959), is an eight-part Polaroid photograph from 2006 and is among more than a half-dozen contemporary artworks by living artists. The 56 lots on offer have a total estimated value of between $16.8 and $20.2 million, which is significantly higher than its last edition of a Latin American art sale in October 2024. The exceptional offering is complemented by an online-only Latin American art sale, which will take place from February 24 to March 6, 2025.

This event not only reinforces the growing global interest in Latin American art, but also underlines the richness and diversity of a region whose artistic production continues to seduce collectors and art lovers around the world. With this auction, Christie’s has once again consolidated its role as a leader in the promotion and valorization of this booming market.

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