Cícero Dias - Latin America New York Thursday, May 29, 2014 | Phillips

Latin America

New York Auction 29 May 2014 4pm

  • Provenance

    Private Collection, São Paulo
    Dan Galeria, São Paulo
    Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2005

  • Catalogue Essay

    "I saw the world ... it started in Recife." Cícero Dias

    A pioneer of Brazilian modernism and surrealism, Cícero Dias’ oeuvre is celebrated for its compositional dynamism and narrative lyricism. Exemplary of his dexterity with the medium of watercolor, the present lot, Cabra cega, 1928, is a symbolic scene that could very well reference Francisco Goya’s La Gallina ciega, 1789, which illustrates the game “blind man’s bluff”. Depicting a variant of the game of tag, Dias created a playful scene between a man and woman. The man—half buried in the ground— scratches his head as a blindfolded woman dances in the role of the “Cabra cega”. The sensuality of the delicate yet lively figures adds an exciting quality of energy and movement to the soft palette of the tranquil landscape.

    Often described as the “Chagall of the tropics”, Cícero Dias’ poetic approach elucidates profound surrealist compositions, both dreamlike and nostalgic. With a creative vision anchored in the realities of his everyday surroundings, with its rolling hills and natural vibrancy, his animated compositions eloquently render the fantastical elements hidden among the complexities of our world.

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF CEIL AND MICHAEL PULITZER

30

Cícero Dias

Cabra cega

1928
watercolor on paper
16 1/4 x 16 1/4 in. (41.3 x 41.3 cm.)
Signed, dedicated and dated "Cícero Dias 1928 Para Caribé o abraço do velho amigo Cícero" lower edge; further signed and dated "Cícero Dias 1928" on the reverse.

Estimate
$50,000 - 70,000 

Sold for $81,250

Contact Specialist
Laura González
Head of Latin America Sale
lgonzalez@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1216

Latin America

New York Auction 29 May 2014 4pm