Reuters spoke to Christie’s Virgilio Garza about  the house’s Latin American Evening sale:

“I think the news here is that Brazilian art shines. Five records were set from the 1960s and 1970s. Brazilan art did extremely well,” said Garza.

Alfredo Volpi’s “Bandeirinhas Estruradas,” (Structured Tiny Flags) fetched $842,500, hitting a record. The work draws viewers’ eyes around the canvas of red, black and white triangles set on a deep blue field,

Auction records were also set for Antonio Bandeira’s 1955 “Blue Streets,” which fetched $482,500 and Franz Weissmann’s 1969 “Estructura,” which sold for $386,500.

Jose Pancetti’s 1957 Abate (“Serie Bahia No. 28) also set an auction high for his work when it fetched $362,500, as did Hercules Barsotti’s 1966 “Losango-Proposicao multilegivel I,” which sold for $170,500.

“Brazilian art has arrived. It is no longer an emerging collecting category. The eyes of the world are just looking at Brazil and their fascinating art history,” said Garza.

Botero bronze, Brazil artists hit auction records (Reuters)