Charting Oscar Murillo’s Rise

It’s Oscar Murillo’s moment. He’s joined David Zwirner gallery in New York, is opening his first major solo show in London and about to see several works test the market again in New York after breaking out in London’s sales this June, including a top price of $391k. He’s collected by notable career-makers and by investment funds, Katya Kazakina provides a step-by-step guide:

“He’s had the quickest upward trajectory for his age of any artist I’ve seen in 25 years,” said Kenny Schachter, a London-based dealer, curator and writer. “There’s a lot of money to be made trading Oscar Murillo at this point.” […]

Dealer Francois Ghebaly, an early supporter, brought 15 paintings by Murillo to NADA Miami art fair in December 2011. They were priced at $2,500 to $8,500.

“Everything sold in the first hour,” said Ghebaly.

Young Murillo was already moving to the next level with the helping hands of Hans Ulrich Obrist, an influential curator, who invited him to London’s Serpentine Gallery and the Roman arena in Arles, France. […]

By December 2012, Murillo had another major platform during the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair: the Rubell Family Collection/Contemporary Arts Foundation.

On opening night his 15-foot-tall paintings, featuring the words “Mango,” “Chorizo” and “Yuka,” were seen by international collectors and museum directors.

“This kid is striking,” said Mera Rubell in an interview. “When you meet him, you want to be part of the story.”

She and her husband, Don Rubell, met Murillo earlier that year in New York. Knowing they were coming to his temporary studio, he created nine new paintings in 48 hours.

They invited him to be the first resident artist at their foundation in Miami. He stayed for five weeks and made 50 artworks.

“We bought all 50 works,” Rubell said.

Oscar Murillo Mints Money With Dirt, Scribbles, Food: Hot Art (Bloomberg)