NEW YORK, 25 May 2017 – Tonight at Sotheby’s New York, the Evening Sales of Latin American Art brought a total of $18.7 million. The top lot of the evening, Rufino Tamayo’s iconic painting, The Bird Charmer, was met with a round of applause from the room when it achieved $4.3 million, following a volley between two phone bidders. Painted in 1945, a particularly dark time for Tamayo, the magnificent work emerged during one of the artist’s most important periods, and represents a sense of optimism following the War years. The Modern Art sale was further distinguished by Diego Rivera’s Retrato de la Actriz Matilde Palou, which brought $2.4 million.

Jesús Rafael Soto’s arresting Construcción en Blanco led the Contemporary works on offer, bringing $817,000 – well exceeding its estimate. The artist’s kinetic works achieved all three of the Evening sale’s top prices, with further highlights from Joaquín Torres-García, whose Sin Título and Arte Constructive, both achieved $325,000.

The online sales of Latin America: Modern Art and Latin America: Contemporary Art continue until 26 May at 2PM.

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