Sotheby’s to Present
One of the Most Distinguished Private Collections of
Surrealist and Modern Art from Latin America
Ever to Appear at Auction
This June in New York

THE VANGUARD SPIRIT:
MODERN AND SURREALIST MASTERWORKS
FROM AN IMPORTANT ESTATE

Led By:

The Greatest Work by Wifredo Lam Ever to Appear at Auction:
OMI OBINI FROM 1943
Estimate $8/12 Million
The Highest Pre-Sale Auction Estimate for the Artist
**
Outstanding Paintings by Leading Women Surrealist Artists
Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo
Leonor Fini & Alice Rahon
**
Iconic Masterworks from the Cuban Vanguardia
Highlighted by Mario Carreño’s Cortadores de caña,
Estimate $1.5/2 Million
**
Pivotal Works by Fernando Botero, Modern Mexican Master
Rufino Tamayo
& Famed Muralist José Clemente Orozco

Highlighting Sotheby’s Marquee Auctions of
IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
This June in New York

Sale Series Continues This Fall and Beyond

NEW YORK, 28 May 2020 – Sotheby’s is honored to present The Vanguard Spirit: Modern and Surrealist Masterworks from an Important Estate as a highlight of our marquee auctions of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art this June in New York.

One of the most distinguished assemblages of Surrealist and Modern art from Latin America ever to appear at auction, this encyclopedic collection of museum-quality works traces the history of 20th-century art. Anchored by an exceptional and diverse ensemble of Surrealist works by masters such as Wifredo Lam, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Frida Kahlo, the collection is equally complemented by outstanding paintings by the most accomplished artists of the Cuban vanguardia, including Mario Carreño, Cundo Bermúdez, Mariano Rodríguez and René Portocarrero, as well as iconic examples by Mexico’s greatest modern artists, including Rufino Tamayo, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Portraying local customs and social realities, this remarkable group contemplates the region’s growing concern with selfhood and national identity.

Sotheby’s will offer 35 works from the collection across our evening and day sales of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art in New York this June, together estimated to sell for in excess of $22 million. More than 200 additional works from the collection will be presented in subsequent sales across multiple categories through fall 2020 and beyond.

Sotheby’s live evening and day auctions of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art, previously scheduled for May, will be held in New York the week of 29 June, pending the lifting of certain restrictions and confirmation from the relevant authorities that we can proceed. Clients and visitors can expect extra precautions to ensure the safety of our employees and visitors, as well as creative opportunities for those wishing to preview our exhibitions and participate in our auctions – from in-person and virtual appointment viewings to enhanced digital experiences. We will announce a more detailed schedule in due course, including relevant exhibition plans.

Julian Dawes, Co-Deputy Head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department in New York, said: “We are delighted to offer works from this vast and pioneering collection in our marque auctions this June in New York. The Vanguard Spirit represents many trends of Latin American and 20th-century art, and is perhaps best characterized by its exceptional range of Surrealist works. This collection tells the story of Surrealism not only in Latin America, but also as a global phenomenon with cross-currents of culture, migration, empire, politics and gender. The artists, imagery and themes contained in this group of artworks are the embodiment of the recent reappraisal of Surrealism to incorporate a wider range of nationalities, cultures, and genders, and this collection remains a prescient early example of this expansive thinking. In particular, Sotheby’s has a strong history of presenting works by women Surrealists: from our successful 2015 selling exhibition Cherchez la femme: Women and Surrealism, which was dedicated to celebrating the figures at the heart of this milieu; to establishing new benchmark prices at auction for many of the prolific names featured in this collection, such as Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo, as well as Alice Rahon, whose work and that of Leonor Fini are appearing in our New York Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art for the very first time. The demand for pieces by these visionary artists has steadily increased in recent years, and we anticipate that the breadth of works featured in this esteemed group will captivate the imagination of collectors around the world through our sales this June.”

Anna Di Stasi, Director of Sotheby’s Latin American Art, remarked: “It is a privilege to present this sensational collection in our marquee New York sales this June. Spanning over 40 years of enlightened acquisitions, this collection reveals the prescience of a gifted and inquisitive eye—one capable of discerning museum quality artworks before they were coveted by the collecting world at large. With the integration of Latin American art into our auctions of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary art, we are uniquely positioned to present such an incomparable artistic achievement on a global stage, where it will be proudly presented alongside other masterpieces of 20th-century art.”

The collection is led by the most outstanding work by Wifredo Lam ever to appear at auction: Omi Obini from 1943, estimated to sell for $8/12 million – the highest pre-sale auction estimate ever placed on a work by the artist.