The most expensive work sold by Bogotá Auctions

The most expensive work sold by Bogotá Auctions is not by Botero, but by a woman

At the last auction of the year, works by Manzur and Obregón were sold, among more than 80 offered, but the one who stood out the most was Bogotá's Olga Amaral
This Tuesday, November 21, the Bogotá Auctions house held one of the most important meetings for art buyers in 2024 and the last face-to-face meeting of the year. The expectation was great, as works by the great names of national, Latin American, modern and contemporary pictorial art were made available. The works (paintings, sculptures and fine arts) were very well received as it was a lot with creations by artists Fernando Botero, Alejandro Obregón, David Manzur, Beatriz González, Rómulo Rozo, Carlos Rojas, Eduard Ramírez Villamizar, Olga de Amaral, Fernell Franco, Guillermo Wiedemann, Marlene Hoffmann, Andrés de Santamaría and Emma Reyes, among others.
The auction had works ranging from $35 million and others that reached $400 million

Fernando Botero continues to be very present with one of the most expensive works of the night: the ‘Vase with Flowers’ painted in 1956. Its starting price was $250 million, but it managed to sell for 420 million. About this creation by the Antioquian master, Alessandro Armato, director of the art department of Bogotá Auctions, explains: “Known for having been featured on the cover of an issue of the prestigious magazine Lámpara in the year of its creation, the work reflects Botero’s peculiar searches around the theme of volume and is characterized by intense color and a complex and balanced composition.”

A second work by Botero was also acquired last night: it is ‘Perfil’, which dates from 1970 and was sold for $8 million, but reached $17 million.

The first surprise of the night came from the master David Manzur, since one of his works ‘Birth of the Fish’ from 1967, was sold for 110 million, which was not so clear in the accounts of the organizers and buyers.

You may be interested in: The revenge of the master David Manzur with María Paz, the daughter of César Gaviria who directs ArtBo

Other pieces that went up for auction with high prices were those of Andrés de Santa María, ‘La roca de Sísifo’ ($150 million), and ‘Carrera de caballos’, although surprisingly neither of the two were acquired.

For his part, the creation of the master Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, ‘Relieve #2,1963’ was available with a price of $70 million, but it was not awarded to any interested party. The one that did go into the hands of a buyer was a work by the Colombian-Spanish Alejandro Obregón. His painting ‘Manglar’ was sold for $50 million.

Another of the surprises was the pair of paintings by the Bogota-born Marlene Hoffmann ‘Cascada Espigas’ and ‘Estructura Espigas’, both from the seventies. The pair of works by the artist, born in 1934, surprised everyone by selling for 65 million each, although their initial starting price was 15 million.

Artists whose works were highly valued were Carlos Rojas's 'La ventana del zapatero,' from the series Mutantes, 1993' (with a starting price of $50 million and sold for 80); Rómulo Rozo's 'La música, 1925' ($35 million, not sold). Pedro Ruiz's 'Untitled' was awarded to a buyer who paid 31 million for the work. And Guillermo Wiedemann's [Mujer del Pacífico] was sold for 28 million.

However, the real winner of the night and the one who snatches first place from established masters such as Botero, Obregón and Manzur was the Bogotá artist Olga Amaral. They are the first and second most expensive works of hers on the auction night of the Bogotá Auctions house, in its last in-person meeting for 2024.

Amaral made a name for herself in the Latin American art world with her large-scale abstract proposals made with fibers covered with gold and silver leaf. Her two iconic creations —for which a successful bidder was reached— were Vestigio (1995) offered for $220 million, but sold for a price of 600 million pesos. And the first —by far the most expensive— was Espejo (2005), delivered to its happy buyer for 650 million pesos. Both Vestigio and Espejo are two iconic golden textiles, evoking the centrality of gold and the sun for pre-Hispanic populations.
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