Carmen Herrera Untitled (Orange and Black), 1956—now an auction record for the artist—is seen alongside works by Kenneth Noland and Jeff Koons as part of our Fall 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale exhibition.
2017 was a noteworthy year for Phillips’ Latin American Art department, marked by momentous growth and key partnerships with various institutions. In addition to breaking numerous world auction records for important artists in the category, we opened two critical regional offices in Latin America.
At Phillips, we played a fundamental role in pushing forward the Latin American art market through strategic marketing efforts and sale placements, breaking down the barriers that have historically separated Latin American art from the contemporary art narrative. Our thoughtfully curated sales allowed us to cross-market exceptional works by Latin American artists to international collectors, contextualizing these artists within the global tapestry of art history.
Important modern and post-war works by León Ferrari, Matta, Sandú Darié and Hélio Oiticica highlighted our Latin American Art exhibition this past November in New York.
We also continued to prominently present female artists alongside their male counterparts, showing the seminal importance of these women who have so often been sidelined by history. Through our support of notable institutional exhibitions and arrangement of educational events for our clients, we were able to promote not only the collecting of Latin American art but a deeper understanding of these artists’ practices and their oeuvres. As we reflect on 2017, we are grateful for our accomplishments and excited to see other notable efforts come to fruition in 2018.
1. Carmen Herrera record
We continued to strategically integrate Latin American art within a global context by including Carmen Herrera’s seminal Untitled (Orange and Black) in the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York in November, leading to a new world auction record of $1,179,000. Phillips set the stage for the explosion in Herrera’s market in 2015 with the sale of Basque for a then-record price of $437,000, followed by a second record in 2016 for Cerulean at $970,000.
Our choice to exhibit Herrera’s work in the prestigious evening auction also demonstrates our consistent dedication to showcasing the achievements of female artists on a broad scale.
Carmen Herrera Untitled (Orange and Black), 1956. Sold for $1,179,000.
2. Helio Oiticica record & retrospective
Additionally, we sold Hélio Oiticica’s groundbreaking P31 Parangolé, capa 24, Escrerbuto in the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York in November. This was the first time Oiticica’s work has ever been sold in an international contemporary context, resulting in a new world auction record of $615,000—nearly doubling the previous record for the artist’s work. Oiticica was the subject of a traveling retrospective that had iterations at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Based on the rave reviews for these fantastic shows and our deep knowledge of the artist’s market, we knew the time had come to present Oiticica’s work in this important Evening Sale.
Hélio Oiticica P31 Parangolé, capa 24, Escrerbuto, 1972. Sold for $615,000.
3. Sponsorship of "Adiós Utopia" at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston
From 5 March through 21 May, Phillips was the lead sponsor of Adiós Utopia: Dreams and Deception in Cuban Art since 1950 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Including more than 100 works by over 50 Cuban artists, Adiós Utopia marked the most comprehensive exhibition of modern and contemporary Cuban art in the United States since 1944 when the Museum of Modern Art, New York presented Modern Cuban Painters. It was an honor and privilege to support this important initiative, given our longstanding relationship with the Museum and our dedication to building the Cuban art market. With the help of our support at the Latin American Experience Gala, the Museum raised a record $1.3 million at the live auction, the proceeds from which will fund the Museum’s world-class acquisition program.
Glexis Novoa Sin título, de la serie Etapa práctica (Untitled, from the Practical Stage series), 1989, from Pêrez Art Museum, Miami. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts Houston © Glexis Novoa
4. Launch of Phillips Brazil
In April, we launched Phillips Brazil, a regional office led by Candida Sodre. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Candida brings to Phillips more than 20 years of auction experience, quickly becoming an integral member of our team. We celebrated the inauguration of this valuable regional office with an elegant event at the beautiful Fasano Hotel in São Paulo during the prestigious art fair SP-Arte. As market leaders for Brazilian art, this new foothold will allow our team to better support our growing client base in Brazil.
Brazilian artist Lygia Pape Livro noite e dia (Book of Night and Day), 1963-1976. Sold for $430,000.
5. Launch of Phillips México
Also in April, we were delighted to publicly announce a second regional office in Latin America: Phillips México. Cecilia Laffan joined Phillips in late 2016 and began making inroads right away. By spring 2017, her efforts were recognized with an exciting event in Mexico City, where our CEO Ed Dolman greeted guests with a speech outlining Phillips’ continued dedication to expanding into Latin America. This new office has allowed our team to better engage with Mexican clients across all departments, leading to continued growth in the region.
Mexican artist Remedios Varo La Mujer libélula (Dragonfly Woman), circa 1961. Sold for $394,000.
6. Partnership with FLORA
Each year we aim to partner with a charitable foundation to raise funding and promote contemporary Latin American art. This year was no exception, marking a new relationship with FLORA ars+natura, the internationally recognized non-profit art space in Bogotá led by husband-and-wife team José Roca and Adriana Hurtado. Since 2016, FLORA has focused its efforts on supporting emerging artists through long-term residencies.
Last May, we traveled to Bogotá, Colombia to explore the city's incredible art scene alongside José Roca, Director of FLORA ars + natura, an arts incubator that has played a continued role in a rapidly-evolving artistic landscape.
In May, we raised funds to support this program through the sale of a selection of lots donated by important contemporary artists, such as Pedro Reyes, Maria Fernanda Cardoso and Los Carpinteros.
Los Carpinteros Estudio de Hans Poelzig, sólido tres, 2016. Sold for $21,250.
7. Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA
This September was a particularly exciting moment for Latin American art in the United States due to the launch of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, an ambitious initiative spearheaded by The Getty that featured exhibitions at over 70 arts institutions across Southern California. During this time, Phillips supported proyectosLA, an exciting alternative to the traditional art fair in which 19 galleries from Latin America and the United States presented over 60 artists in a giant 20,000 square-foot warehouse in Chinatown. Kaeli Deane, Head of Latin American Art, traveled West for the many openings in September to participate in this pivotal moment within the shifting landscape of Latin American art.
Eduardo Sarabia: Drifting on a Dream at The Mistake Room, Los Angeles, photographed by Kaeli Deane, Head of Latin American Art during Pacific Standard Time LA/LA
8. Sponsorship of "Leonilson: Empty Man" at the Americas Society
This year we were proud to continue our support of the Americas Society Visual Arts Program through our sponsorship of their illuminating exhibition Leonilson: Empty Man. This beautifully curated show was the first solo presentation of the Brazilian artist’s work in the United States, providing unique insight into his prolific career before his life was cut short by AIDS in 1993. Phillips has long recognized the Americas Society’s key role in presenting Latin American art in the United States, often well ahead of the rest of the art world, and this intimate and insightful show was no exception.
9. Zilia Sánchez auction record
We continued our record-breaking streak in the Latin America Sale in November with Zilia Sánchez’s Topologias eroticas, sold for $112,500. Born in Cuba and based in Puerto Rico, Sánchez has garnered significant international interest in recent years through her representation at Galerie Lelong and her inclusion in major institutional collections, such as the Walker Art Center and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires.
Her shaped canvases are entirely abstract in their compositions yet exude a sensual quality that is intrinsically linked to the human body. This result is particularly timely as Sánchez will be the feature of a major solo show at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC in 2019.
Zilia Sánchez Topologias eroticas, 1970. Sold for $112,500
10. León Ferrari auction record
Another record was smashed in the Latin America Sale for León Ferrari’s exquisite 1978 untitled sculpture for $212,500. Ferrari has long been recognized as arguably the most significant Argentine conceptual artist of the 20th century, and his provocative and politically engaged art led to his exile to Brazil in 1976 during the Argentine dictatorship.
León Ferrari Untitled, 1978. Sold for $212,500.
The sale of this significant wire sculpture marks a new stage in Ferrari’s growing market, coming off the heels of his exhibition at REDCAT in Los Angeles entitled The Words of Others: León Ferrari and Rhetoric in Times of War.