Thursday, May 31, 2012

Three New York City Museums Exhibit Caribbean Art

Don't miss this monumental exhibition born out of a collaboration between three seminal New York City museums: El Musel del Barrion, Queens Museum and Studio Museum in Harlem.  Caribbean: Crossroads of the World displays the artistic and cultural vitality of the Caribbean region and its islands of English, Dutch, French, and Spanish-speaking citizens.

El Museum del Barrio

Queens Museum of Art

The Studio Museum in Harlem

For a contemporary view of art produced by Caribbean artists and/or on Caribbean subjects, see the AQ/ArtQuake print portfolio project.  AQ/ArtQuake is a ten-print limited edition portfolio produced by artists to raise funds for earthquake relief support for artists in Haiti.  The portfolio has been sold to major cultural and educational institutions in the greater-New York area as well as collectors in London, Miami, and New York City.  Email AQ/ArtQuake for further information and to purchase the portfolio.


Latin American Art at Auction

It was a great week last week to see Latin American Art in New York City.  I managed to make my way to several of the auction houses and galleries exhibiting a rich body of work from Jose Bedia's Afro-Cuban inspired works to Botero's familiar figures, and Matta's surrealist expressionisms. (I made that term up.)  Here's a brief report on the results.

Sotheby's sale totaled $ 21.8 million and 82% sold.  Auction records were set for Wifredo Lam ($4.6 m), Armando Reveron ($872,500), Jesus Rafael Soto ($1 m), and others.  For work in representations of the African diapora in art, selections to review are Lot 8 - Idolo (Oya/Divinite...) by Wifredo Lam, Lot 24 - Retrato de Nino by Rufino Tamayo, and Lot 221 - Figura en fonda azul by Ricardo Martinez.

At Christie's the Latin American Art sale totaled $27.8 million and 86% sold.  Matta's La révolte des contraires sold for $5 million.  You will want to look attentively at the work of Pedro Figari (Lots 6 and 244), Candido Portinari (Lot 64), and Angel Botello (Lot 87).


Brazilian art was well-represented in both these auctions.  (See below cover of Christie's catalog)   And Cuba's impressive sculptor, Agustin Cardenas, had a handful of works for sale at both Christie's and Sotheby's.




Candido Portinari (Brazilian 1903-1962)
Navio negreiro

At Rago Arts and Auction Center's Fine Art Auction, Lot 98, David Alfaro Siqueiros' Dos Cabos, an acrylic on masonite, was sold for $ 27, 500.  Auction estimate was $ 25, 000 - 35, 000.

See ATFA Appraisals' photography blog for sales in the photographic medium.
Wifredo Lam, Jesús Rafael Soto, Armando Reverón and six others

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=55591[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
auction records set for Wifredo Lam, Jesús Rafael Soto, Armando Reverón and six others.

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=55591[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
auction records set for Wifredo Lam, Jesús Rafael Soto, Armando Reverón and six others.

More Information: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=55591[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org

Friday, May 18, 2012

American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture - Sotheby's Sale Results

Hale Woodruff, Totem, c. 1954

The Sotheby's American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture auction held on April 5th had a handful of works by African-American artists.  The auction produced sale results totaling 2,919,564 USD.  Here are a few results of interest.

Lot 23, Hale Woodruff
TOTEM, c. 1954
Sold $ 46, 875; Estimate: 30,000-40,000


Lot 102, Lois Mailou Jones
LE  CONSULAT, 1951
Sold $ 18,750; Estimate: $ 10,000-15,000

Lot 103, Lois Mailou Jones
FENETRES  DE  PARIS
Sold $ 11,250; Estimate: $ 6,000-8,000

Lot 104, Lois Mailou Jones
STUDY  FOR  MURAL  PAINTING,  "LIGHT",  HOWARD  UNIVERSITY, 1939
Sold $ 10, 625; Estimate: $ 5,000 - 7,000