Provenance
Collection of Carmel Gerdes, Mexico City
Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Literature
W. Gruen and R. Ovalle, Remedios Varo – Catálogo Razonado, Mexico City, 2008, p. 291 (illustrated)
Catalogue Essay
Born in the province of Gerona, Spain, Remedios Varo immigrated to Mexico at the end of 1941. Previously Varo had been involved with André Breton’s inner circle, leading to her inclusion in landmark exhibitions such as Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in December 1936. However, it was her new life in Mexico that provided a true escape from the horrors of World War II, breathing new life into her painting and giving her the freedom to break from the orthodox Surrealist canon of Europe.

Varo’s mature work—influenced by her interest in medieval alchemy and psychoanalysis—is meticulous in execution, evincing her mastery of frottage and decalcomania, traditional Surrealist techniques. Her paintings also show influence of old masters, such as Hieronymous Bosch, El Greco, and Francisco Goya, demonstrating a complex understanding of art history as well as avant-garde styles. When she arrived in Mexico, Varo quickly became close with a thriving community of expatriate artists, such as Leonora Carrington, Wolfgang Paalen and Alice Rahon. She also began incorporating the magical syncretism and mystical energy of the fantastic—ancient beliefs that were embedded in ancient indigenous Mexican culture—into her body of work. By both physically and metaphorically distancing herself from the French Surrealism—whose rules imposed strict limits on women—Varo no longer feared being labeled the “femme fatale” and could freely explore new terrain in her art. As an expatriate, she was not tied to European or Mexican conventions, allowing to explore her inner self in a much more intimate way. One of her most important contributions to Surrealism was the activation of female subjects in her composition; rather than depicting women as muses or sexual objects, Varo’s female characters confidently explore new worlds, making scientific discoveries and accomplishing other complex tasks. The present work, La libélula (Dragonfly Woman, circa 1961, is a prime example of her work, depicting an exquisitely painted female figure at the forefront of the picture plane staring directly out at the viewer with confidence and authority, thus showcasing her power and authority.

However, there is also a coyness to La libélula, adding a sense of mystery to the work. Varo suffered from bouts of depression and her paintings often reflect a certain level of personal suffering, albeit not in an explicit manner. She was purposefully ambiguous in this area, as she refused to encourage the notions of gender inferiority from Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. Thus, Varo would represent melancholia through techniques like the aforementioned decalcomania—where wet paint is spread on a surface and then transferred to another surface, creating an autonomous design that arises from chance rather than the artist’s intention. Max Ernst was particularly fond of this practice and would use it to create eerie, biomorphic textures and ambiguous landscapes in his canvases. In the present lot, Varo has expertly utilized decalcomania to achieve the delicate white cape-like covering of the dragonfly woman, which almost appears as translucent wings, juxtaposed against the hazy and indistinct auburn background. Additionally, if one looks closely at the figure in this composition, one notices what is arguably the tail of the Cheshire Cat, thereby giving the work a lighter fairytale feeling—much like the work of her friend Leonora Carrington—and also showing Varo’s employment of the Surrealist game, cadavre exquis, whereby two or more artists would collaborate to create a hybrid creature. Any source of sunlight is noticeably absent, as is often the case in Varo’s work. This lack of light alludes to the constant dusk in medieval towns and harkens back to her inner turmoil and past memories of war-torn Europe.
The present work evokes “a strong alternative voice within the surrealist idiom. A re-negotiation of the surrealist and Mexican artistic enterprise that Varo was able to achieve on her own terms and in her own voice” (J. Kaplan, Remedios Varo – Catálogo Razonado, Mexico City, 2008, p. 35), ultimately setting Varo apart from the European Surrealists, thereby achieving a new artistic language that would combine both her past and present experiences in an entirely unique way.
Artist Biography
Remedios Varo
Spanish / Mexican • 1908 - 1963
Spanish-born Remedios Varo is widely recognized as a pioneer of Surrealism in Latin America. Varo formally trained at Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and spent many of her formative years in Barcelona and Paris. While in Paris, Varo met Andre Breton and many other members of the Surrealist circle, including Max Ernst and Roberto Matta. With the onset of World War II and the Nazi occupation of France, Varo fled to Mexico along with other European artists and intellectuals including Kati Horna, Leonora Carrington and Gunther Gerzso. While Varo's work was undoubtedly influenced by Breton's surrealist writings, her mature works are often reminiscent of both Italian and Flemish Renaissance paintings in their allegorical nature and use of subtle tonalities.
View More Works

19

Remedios Varo

La Mujer libélula (Dragonfly Woman)

signed "R. VARO" lower left
oil, gouache and ink on paper mounted on masonite
25 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. (65.7 x 20 cm)
Painted circa 1961, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Walter Gruen.

Estimate
$300,000 - 500,000

Sold for $394,000

Contact Specialist
Kaeli Deane
Head of Sale, Latin American Art
New York
+1 212 940 1352

Latin America

New York Auction 24 May 2017

1
Jorge Eielson
Untitled
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $57,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Jose Dávila
Topologías
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $37,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Hélio Oiticica and Neville D'Almeida
21/CC1 (Trashiscapes / Cosmococa Programa-in-Progress)
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $12,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Mira Schendel
Untitled
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
Mathias Goeritz
Dos Mensajes
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Hélio Oiticica
Metaesquema
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Carlos Cruz-Diez
Physichromie No. 939
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Joaquín Torres-García
Composición
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $143,750
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Alfredo Volpi
Banderinhas com mastro
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $125,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Lygia Pape
Livro noite e dia (Book of Night and Day)
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $430,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Lygia Pape
Four works: Untitled (Tecelar)
Estimate $90,000 - 120,000
Sold for $105,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Beatriz Milhazes
O Cisne
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $218,750
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
Vik Muniz
Jackie (from the series Pictures of Diamonds)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $100,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
This lot is no longer available.
15
Carmen Herrera
Untitled
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $466,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Gego
Untitled
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
Mira Schendel
Untitled
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Gabriel Orozco
Samurai Tree 6C
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $231,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Remedios Varo
La Mujer libélula (Dragonfly Woman)
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $394,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Leonora Carrington
Pastoral
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $346,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Wifredo Lam
Untitled
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $322,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
This lot is no longer available.
23
David Alfaro Siqueiros
Tehuanas
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
Rufino Tamayo
Tres amigos
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Diego Rivera
Two works: i) First Study for the mural project at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA) ii) Second Study for the mural project at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA)
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
Ricardo Martinez
Untitled (Reclining figure)
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Diego Rivera
Pareja con marrano
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
Miguel Covarrubias
Three works: i) Park Avenue Doorman – Taxi ii) Lady Tourist Bargaining Oriental Amber iii) Confrontation - Pie in the Face
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $31,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
29
Francisco Toledo
Three works: i) Mujer con trenzas; ii) Hombre arlequín; iii) Tamin ojos estrellas
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $22,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Francisco Toledo
Cabrito
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Fernando Botero
Untitled
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $200,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Fernando Botero
Sitting Woman
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $274,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Pedro Álvarez
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
Salvador Corratgé
Fragmentos de una sinfonía
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $10,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
Sandú Darié
Untitled
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $17,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
Loló Soldevilla
Untitled
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $13,750
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
37
Luis Martínez Pedro
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
38
Pedro de Oraá
Homenaje a Carmen Herrera
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $17,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
39
Eduardo MacEntyre
Five Works: Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
40No Reserve
Horacio García Rossi
Boite lumiere
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000 •
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
41
León Ferrari
Untitled
Estimate $18,000 - 22,000
Sold for $37,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
42
Mira Schendel
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
43
Anna Maria Maiolino
Disco
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
44
Tomie Ohtake
Untitled
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
45
Anna Maria Maiolino
Two works: Composição Série Aguadas
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
46
Judith Lauand
Untitled
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $12,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
47
Lothar Charoux
Quadrado
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $21,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
48
Lothar Charoux
Tres Quadrados
Estimate $18,000 - 22,000
Sold for $20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
49
Edgar Negret
Sol
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
50
This lot is no longer available.
51
Jesús Rafael Soto
Light Trap (Piège de lumière)
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Sold for $17,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
52
Edgar Negret
Tower
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $27,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
53
Matta
Creative Net-work
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
54
Gunther Gerzso
Naranja-Verde-Azul
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $62,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
55
Guillermo Kuitca
Untitled
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $47,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
56
Los Carpinteros
Estudio de Hans Poelzig, sólido tres
Estimate $18,000 - 22,000
Sold for $21,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
57
Allora & Calzadilla
Untitled (from the series Lakes, Rivers, Ponds and Streams)
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
58
Rosângela Rennó
Fonte dos amores (From the series Poços de Caldas 1960-2015)
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
59
Alexandre Arrechea
Thelonious (Monk)
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $11,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
60
Miguel Ángel Rojas
Three Works: Proa en la nave de la ilusión (from the Faenza series)
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
61
Matías Duville
Untitled
Estimate $18,000 - 25,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
62
Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Harmonica)
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $7,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
63
Carlos Garaicoa
Aquí estuvieron los cubanos (I and II)
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $11,875
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
64
Pedro Motta
Sumidouro (sink)
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000
Sold for $2,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
65
Tomás Saraceno
View of Uyuni from Lacaille 9352
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
66
María Fernanda Cardoso
Seahorse Circle
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Sold for $4,750
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
67
Regina Silveira
Track series (Snake 2)
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
68
Liliana Porter
Red with Them
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
69
Francis Alÿs
Untitled (Study for Linchados / Lynching)
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
70
Servando Cabrera Moreno
Amatista
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $11,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
71
Manuel Mendive
Chango
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
72
Julio Galán
Untitled (De nuevo nunca me quieras)
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
73
Oswaldo Guayasamín
Mujer llorando
Estimate $70,000 - 100,000
Sold for $81,250
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
74
Benjamín Cañas
The Critics
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $32,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
75
Oswaldo Guayasamín
Cabeza y mano
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $75,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
76
Federico Herrero
Landscape
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
77
Ernesto Neto
Colonia
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $18,750
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
78
Mariana Palma
Untitled
Estimate $35,000 - 45,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
79
Vik Muniz
The Descent from the Cross, after Caravaggio (from the series 'Pictures of Chocolate')
Estimate $35,000 - 45,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
80
Vik Muniz
Obama (from the series 'Pictures of Magazine 2')
Estimate $45,000 - 65,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
81
Luis Felipe Ortega
Mirando a través de algo que parece uno mismo
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
82
Carlos Arias Vicuña
Distancia (Distance)
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
83
Dr. Lakra
Untitled (Retro con músculos)
Estimate $6,000 - 8,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
84
José Bedia
El precio
Estimate $7,000 - 9,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
85
Alfredo Otero
Untitled (from the series 'Muros')
Estimate $4,000 - 6,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
86
Samy Benmayor
Untitled
Estimate $7,000 - 8,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
87
Eugenio Espinoza
Untitled
Estimate $7,000 - 10,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
88
Alfredo Jaar
Reflexions
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
89
José Antonio Hernández Diez
MP3 vol.3
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
90
Gabriel Orozco
Drained Pot
Estimate $12,000 - 18,000
Sold for $12,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
91
Gabriel Orozco
Tortillas y Ladrillos (Tortillas and Bricks)
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $20,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
92
Los Carpinteros
Urbanización flotante
Estimate $35,000 - 55,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
93
Carlos Garaicoa
Untitled (from the series 'La ciudad vista desde la mesa casa')
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Sold for $7,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
94
Nicola Costantino
Male Nipples Soccer Ball (from the series Human Furiery)
Estimate $5,000 - 7,000
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
95
Darío Escobar
Ecce Homo
Estimate $8,000 - 12,000
Sold for $7,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

Latin America

New York Auction 24 May 2017

Create your first list.

Provenance

Literature

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

Remedios Varo

19

Remedios Varo

La Mujer libélula (Dragonfly Woman)

Latin America

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.