Spring of female dominance: Amaral and Herrera set records at 2025 New York auctions

Sales at Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips totaled around $13 million, with 67 works by 48 artists being auctioned.

The recent auctions held by Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips in New York generated a total of $12.7 million.

The distribution by auction house is as follows:

Phillips: 15 works - $3,006,340 (23.6%)

Sotheby's: 26 works - $4,456,800 (34.9%)

Christie's: 26 works - $5,283,900 (41.5%)

Compared to the 2024 figures, sales decreased by $2,244,589, with works sold totaling $14,891,629.

On that occasion, the distribution was as follows:

Phillips: 8 works - $1,214,799 (8.16%)

Sotheby's: 44 works - $11,979,910 (80.44%)

Christie's: 10 works - $1,696,920 (11.40%) (* Not including the works sold by contemporary Ibero-American artists in the Rosa de la Cruz Collection auction, valued at $15,247,800).

The decline in the contemporary Ibero-American art segment aligns with the overall decrease observed across the three major auction houses. These auction houses had anticipated sales ranging from $1.2 to $1.6 billion for evening auctions, which showcase the most expensive lots. However, they collectively managed to surpass only $1 billion, including buyers' premiums, with net sales reaching $837.5 million before the premiums were applied.

To analyze the situation in more detail, let's consider an interesting point: despite fewer works by women being auctioned compared to men, Olga de Amaral (Colombia, 1932) and Carmen Herrera (Cuba, 1915-2022) have emerged as the top performers at auctions. Amaral has three works sold, two of which exceeded one million euros, placing her at the top of the list for highest auction sales at Phillips and Sotheby's. Meanwhile, a work by Herrera, also sold for over one million euros, occupies the first place at Christie's.

Both artists are represented by Lisson Gallery in the United Kingdom, which ranks second in the TOP 5 galleries with the most auctioned works. Leading the list is the American gallery David Zwirner, known for auctioning works by Cuban artist Félix González-Torres (1957–1996), Colombian artist Oscar Murillo (born 1986), and Brazilian artist Lucas Arruda (born 1983).

Arruda has consistently achieved impressive results with his two auctioned works, surpassing their high estimates by 85% and 26%. However, other artists have outperformed him in this regard. For instance, Dominican artists Firelei Báez (born 1981) and Bony Ramírez (born 1996) achieved percentages of 218% and 133% above their high estimates, respectively. Additionally, it is noteworthy that 68% of the works sold exceeded their low estimate.

Among the 14 countries represented in sales, Brazil stands out, having the highest number of works sold and the most significant total earnings across the three auctions, with a total of 22 sold works bringing in over $3 million.

There is no shortage of works by prominent figures in Brazilian Conceptual Art, including Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, and Lygia Pape. Additionally, established and active artists in both primary and secondary markets, such as Lucas Arruda and Marina Perez Simão, contribute to this vibrant scene.

On the other hand, there are nearly twice as many deceased artists as living ones, and their works account for 70% of auction results.

When examining the artistic disciplines, painting stands out as the most dominant, with 46 out of 67 works sold. Additionally, textiles have secured the third position in total earnings, largely due to the high auction prices of Amaral's three works, which collectively reached nearly $1.7 million.

In contrast, when examining the period during which the works were created, the 1960s and 1970s stand out, with sales exceeding $5 million.

Another interesting fact is the provenance of the works. In this case, we travel back in time to the first time they were put up for auction. Fifty percent of the 67 artworks auctioned were purchased through galleries.

In the ranking of the five artists with the most works auctioned at three auction houses, the Colombian artist Fernando Botero (1932-2023) stands out significantly.

Finally, there are 10 artists who have achieved the remarkable feat of selling 100% of their works in past auctions.