Painter Tomás Sánchez is the best-selling Cuban artist at Christie's auction

March 14, 2022

Tomás Sánchez, considered the most sought-after living Cuban painter, broke a sales record at the legendary Christie's auction house, selling the painting "Arrival of the Wanderer at the Lagoon" for $1.8 million dollars.

This makes him one of the first Cuban artists to achieve million-dollar prices during his lifetime, like Carmen Herrera, who recently passed away. In fact, the sale amount of the canvas, created in 1999, placed him as the third best-selling artist at the Latin American art auction, held in New York this Friday, one of Christie's main venues around the world.

In fact, only works by Mexican Diego Rivera and Colombian Fernando Botero have reached prices above one million dollars. "This news is an achievement for Cuban art, Cuban artists and their prestige with their extraordinary quality and hard work," reflected a statement from Tomás Sánchez's Studio.

The final price for "Arrival of the Wanderer at the Lagoon" doubled the initial estimate from the auction house.

The top spot at the auction was occupied by Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, 89 years old, with his sculpture "Man on Horseback," which reached a value of $4,320,000 dollars. Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957), with the work "The Embroideress," which sold for $4,140,000 dollars, came in second.

Artists such as Wifredo Lam (1902-1982) and Roberto Fabelo (1950), add to the lot of works put up for auction and sold. Lam, for his part, was the ninth best-selling, with "Pomme Zombie," for $756,000 dollars; and Fabelo took eleventh place, with "Perrerío," for $579,600, and also broke his own record, which was $399,00 dollars, with his work "Journey to the Fantastic Garden."