The Spring 2019 Latin American Art Auction at Christie’s is on view May 18-22, 2019 for auction May 22-23, 2019 at 5pm and 10am respectively. FREE
Spring 2019 Latin American Art Auction
The sale is led by a painting by Spanish-Mexican surrealist Remedios Varo “Simpatía” (1955) with an estimate of $2,000,000 – $3,000,000.
Varo studied art at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. It was the school of Salvador Dalí and other famous artists. She spent time with the surrealists in Paris, but World War II forced her to leave Europe for Mexico.
In Mexico she joined other European expatriates in the circle around Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. In particular Varo was a friend of artists Leonara Carrington and Kati Horna.
“Simpatía” is an interesting painting. Filled with metaphors of transformation, it shows the influence of surrealism and Varo’s own mystical explorations. She had that mystical character and was a follower of psychologist Carl Jung and the mystic George Gurdjieff.
From surrealism, we see a stylized door, a glass of water that becomes a sea, and the woman’s spirit animal (the cat).
From mysticism, we see the static electricity in the cat’s fur rendered as golden sparks representing unseen energies (those who see will recognize the golden sparks). The three cat tails peaking out from under the woman’s dress might indicate that she is transforming, or perhaps that she hides more mystical power under her dress. Surrealists tended to demean women, but Varo shows woman in all her power.
Other artists leading the auction include:
- Rufino Tamayo (Mexican)
- Francisco Zúñiga (Costa Rican-Mexican)
- Rodolfo Nieto (Mexican)
- Francisco Toledo (Mexican)
- Wilfredo Lam (Cuban)
- Fernando Botero (Colombian)
- Carlos Alfonzo (Cuban-American)
- Roberto Obregón (Colombian-Venezuelan)
- Arturo Herrera (Venezuelan)
- Carlos Cruz-Diez (Venezuelan)
For more information, visit www.christies.com
Spring 2019 Latin American Art Auction Tickets
The best things in life are free.
Both the auction exhibition and the auction itself are free.
Exhibition
Saturday, May 18: 10am – 5pm
Sunday, May 19: 1pm – 5pm
Monday, May 20: 10am – 5pm
Tuesday, May 21: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday, May 22: 10am – 12pm
Auction
Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 5pm: Lots 1-61
Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 10am: Lots 101-255
Christie’s New York
20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
(49th St between Fifth & Sixth Ave)
Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan