Latin American paintings tend to sell well according to sales results registered lately, notably at Christie's in New York with dispersion of the Landau collection in November 1996. Antonio Berni (1905-1981), an Argentinian painter, was much sought with "Los Emigrantes" a big tempera work on canvas which fetched a record $ 552,500. This became the most expensive Argentine painting to be sold in an auction.
An attractive early canvas by the Brazilian artist Emiliano di Cavalcanti (1897-1976) "Mulheres con Frutas", sold for the stunning price of US $ 651,500. Meanwhile, a splendid composition by the Cuban Wilfredo Lam, "Forêt Tropicale", fetched US $ 882,500, the top price of that evening sale.
Specialists said the market for South American paintings seemed on its way to a full recovery, excepted in Mexico, a country affected by a deep economic crisis, where buyers have been less active.
The best example concerned the Berni considered as carrying a difficult image. The Landaus were regarded as a remarkable art collecting couple. Fleeing from Poland on the eve of World War Two, they settled in Brazil where they befriended many of the most important Brazilian artists. Their collection more than doubled its estimate. Most interesting is the fact that South American paintings know no borders since buyers would acquire works which originated from other countries than their own. Moreover, a third of the buyers were U.S nationals.
Modern and contemporary Cuban works were much in demand notably those of Mario Carreno whose "Jardin Barroco" sold for US $ 233,500 and Angel Acosta Leon who committed suicide at an early age in 1964. His "Metamorfosis" tripled its estimate reaching a record price of US $ 79,500. The Uruguyan contemporary artist Ignacio Iturria sold at US $ 68,500 while Tomas Sanchez, a Cuban living in Miami, achieved two records. "Orilla", painted in 1989, fetched US $ 178,500 and "Caida de Aguas", a tempera on paper, sold for US $ 46,000.
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