Of course, Terrence Malick's films eschew labels, but if you are the dreary sort who insists on affixing names to them, then this should satisfy your need to assign some futile semblance of order to the ineffable. 

The video consists of studio footage, with a few cuts from "Snow White and the Huntsman" interspersed.

NEW YORK — Gerhard Richter is the current King Kong of the art market and his paintings, especially the abstracts, are in passionate demand, as evidenced by the recent flurry of cash chasing works by the German titan during the contemporary sales held here last week. For example, Richter’s “Abstraktes Bild (798-3),” a large oil on canvas from 1993, fetched a record $21,810,500 (est. $14-18 million) at Christie’s on May 8, while “Abstraktes Bild (768-2),” from 1992, sold for $16,882,500 (est. $8-10 million) at Sotheby’s on May 9.

So it was a salesroom shocker when Richter’s smaller “Abstraktes Bild (638-4),” an oil on canvas from 1987, died on the block without a single bid at Phillips de Pury on May 10. (The estimate was $3-5 million). It last sold at auction at Christie’s London back in October 1992 for a now-measly-seeming £28,600 ($48,344), about a decade before his market began its current ascent. Had market ardor faded for Germany’s — and perhaps the world’s — greatest living artist?

Hardly, at least according to one Chelsea dealer who had tried to sell the painting back in 2002 for €450,000, the price reflecting the rough patch following 9/11, as well as the fact that, in his words, “Richter was not yet the be all and end all of the art market.”

“It was a nice painting,” said the dealer, who insisted on anonymity, “and the price was OK for a painting in good condition.” Doubts, however, surrounded this particular Richter. Beyond some acceptable hairline cracks at the bottom of the canvas, the work had suffered an inch-and-a-quarter tear in the lower-right-hand corner. That’s what killed its prospects.

A condition report, unearthed from the 2002 period when it was on private consignment here from a Dusseldorf dealer, opined that the restoration was “professionally repaired sometime within the last ten years” and further described the repair patch as “executed in tissue with synthetic glue,” adding that “there is retouch paint on the painting’s surface corresponding this repair.”

Even given the current boom for postwar art, the unblemished regard for Richter, and the kudos generated by the current traveling retrospective, “Panorama,” condition can kill a painting’s chances in a sophisticated market environment. Phillips aggressive estimate probably didn’t help either.

The Milwaukee Art Museum and Milwaukee County War Memorial, a Midwestern complex by two master architects of their respective times — Santiago Calatrava and Eero Saarinen — is planning a long-overdue $15 million overhaul that includes a glass extension that would serve as a new entrance.

The museum’s proposal addresses some basic needs that would vastly improve the institution and its visitors’ experience. While Calatrava's 2001 wing of the museum will remain untouched, the rest of the interior, which comprises David Kahler's 1972 extension and Saarinen's original 1957 War Memorial building — a cantilevered cruciform structure that housed the museum in its basement when it was still called the Milwaukee Art Center — will have walls knocked down, floors refinished, and galleries completely redesigned. The two older sections have been criticized for their convoluted, maze-like hallways, and the marathon visitors must endure just to get from the north parking lot to the permanent collection gallery. A glossy new 8,000-square-foot, $5 million (a paltry sum compared to what Calatrava might have charged) atrium clad in glass with a ceramic screen would extend the Kahler building by 200 feet, as well as provide an extra vantage point to gaze at both Lake Michigan and the Calatrava wing — and a more direct entrance for visitors. The new extension, designed by Jim Shields of Milwaukee's HGA Architects and Engineers, would include a new café, specially commissioned artworks, and a ticket desk.  

There are also plans for creating an urban park and perform a comprehensive restoration of the visibly crumbling, leaking Kahler and Saarinen buildings, but the trickier part of the overhaul is rethinking ownership of the spaces. While Calatrava's wing is completely owned and operated by the Milwaukee Art Museum, Kahler's and Saarinen's are owned by Milwaukee County and operated by the War Memorial Corp., a non-profit organization that also oversees the Charles Allis Art Museum and the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. The museum is pursuing a direct lease with the county and removing its current landlord so that it would have full control over the buildings, including their temperature and humidity rates. (The current lack of climate control puts the museum's accreditation with the American Association of Museums at risk, making it difficult to obtain artwork from peer institutions for temporary shows.)

The museum made its case to the County Board's Parks, Energy, and Environment Committee today, which left the issue to veterans and art groups to hash out before returning to the board in about a month. The War Memorial Corp. is reticent to relinquish control of the building for fear its programming would lose its focus on veteran’s affairs. But at least one board member sees the logic in handing control to the museum. "We have veterans running an art museum," Supervisor Gerry Broderick, who chairs the parks committee, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "On its face, there's an absurdity about it."

The museum hopes to begin construction in fall 2013 and finish within one year, which would require spaces in the Saarinen and Kahler sections to close for months at a time, but museum director Daniel Keegan has stated that the institution will make an effort to remain accessible for veteran holidays. 

Mickalene Thomas is on a roll. With works in four current exhibitions across the United States, a recent honor with the Asher B. Durand Award at the Brooklyn Museum Artist’s Ball, and a fall show on the way, the Brooklyn-based African-American artist has found continued success since she broke out in the art world in 2008, when her rhinestone-on-enamel portraits received glowing reviews during Art Basel Miami Beach. In 2009, Thomas went on to have her first New York solo show at Lehmann Maupin, leading Art + Auction to report that she was “reinventing the grand tradition of painting.”

Her paintings – brightly-hued rhinestone-embellished images of African-American women – exude color, beauty, and power, exploring themes of race, feminism, and sexuality. Inspired by Blaxploitation, the 1970s film genre that includes “Foxy Brown” and “Shaft,” her pieces capture the sassy attitude of the era. But painting isn’t Thomas’s only medium. She also works in collage and photography, taking on landscapes and still life, and cites Édouard Manet and Henri Matisse as influences.

In many ways, the Lehmann Maupin-represented artist’s personal style carries the same bold confidence as her artworks. At the Brooklyn Museum Artist’s Ball, Thomas went for a dapper disco look, sporting a tuxedo with a sequined lapel and a black-collared button-up shirt. For this edition of Tastemaker, Thomas describes her favorite paint-stained Maison Martin Margiela sneakers and her preference for Rick Owens knits. She also told us about her excitement over her latest role as mother-to-be with her partner, artist Carmen McLeod, who is expecting in August.

Click on the slide show to see the rest of Mickalene Thomas's Tastemaker picks.

Eight years after a career retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Elsa Schiaparelli is back in the spotlight with an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute and an announcement from Italian businessman Diego Della Valle that he is relaunching the brand that bears her name. With all the buzz surrounding the show and the revival, is the late fashion designer on her way to a posthumous comeback?

Schiaparelli revolutionized fashion in the 1930s with her surrealist tromp l’oeil sweaters, lobster dress, and whimsical prints. In 1934 Time hailed her as “the one to whom the word ‘genius’ is applied most often,” and said that Schiaparelli was a more dominant influence in fashion at the time than her biggest rival, Coco Chanel. But in the end, it was Chanel who triumphed after Schiaparelli shuttered her business in 1954, due to the post-war economic downturn.

Why revive a label that failed at its first shot at longevity? The prospect of profitability, some argue, is linked to two main factors: brand recognition, and a desire on the part of consumers to relive an idealized time in fashion.

“There is a mystique regarding fashion’s past — the nostalgic glow of a particular style of dressing, a particular series of events defining an era, eccentric personalities, incredible workmanship,” said Michael Fink, dean at Savannah College of Art and Design School of Fashion and former Saks Fifth Avenue fashion director, in an email to ARTINFO. “Certain labels allow us to reminisce about perceived better times or a better life. Labels that have this built-in heritage lure us into a fantasy.”   

The move seems to be the trend du jour, with dormant brands like couture house Mainbocher and footwear label Herbert Levine announcing plans for returns in recent weeks. French entrepreneur Arnaud de Lummen, who has made a business out of buying defunct luxury brands like Mainbocher, Herbert Levine, and Vionnet and revamping them, told WWD, “It’s reassuring to consumers that you’re not a newcomer.”  

Based on relaunches of the past decade, it’s difficult to predict the fate of the new Schiaparelli brand. Halston was revived by Harvey Weinstein in 2007 after a series of failed attempts to bring the company back to its glory days, only to dissolve last summer when Weinstein pulled out his investment. Balmain, which closed in 2003 due to bankruptcy only to be brought back to life by investors in 2005, is now hailed by such actresses as Gwyneth Paltrow and Audrey Tautou, and fashion editors like Paris Vogue’s Emmanuelle Alt, for its tough-chic glamour.

“I think it could work,” Jayne Mountford, trend forecaster, founder, and managing editor of Hall Five Trend Forum told ARTINFO via email. “We are in a time of hyperbolic fashion, which Schiaparelli was known for. But really, doesn’t it all depend on the right designer plus bag plus shoe equals success. With that winning formula, it could be the next Balenciaga. Unfortunately, without it, Halston, or worse still, Ungaro.”

For Fink, success depends on identifying the consumer base and developing a product in line with clients’ needs. In Schiaparelli’s case, Della Valle is targeting the extremely wealthy, calling his business model “prêt-a-couture,” a level that, according to the Financial Times, “lands somewhere between very high-end ready-to-wear and the made-for-you couture extravaganzas that cost from €20,000 ($25,460).” The label won’t use advertising and will only sell the garments out of one space — 21 Place Vendôme in Paris — the location of Schiaparelli’s original atelier.

“Your product has to offer something that is perceived as unique, a reason to purchase,” said Fink. “That could be the actual clothing, a lifestyle, an association with celebrity, workmanship. At the luxury level, quality is paramount.”

Then there is the selection of the right designer, and fashion industry insiders and onlookers have been gossiping about that subject for the past few months.

In March, WWD reported that Della Valle denied rumors that he plans to name the embattled designer John Galliano — who was ousted from Dior last year after several drunken anti-Semitic confrontations — as the new Schiaparelli designer. But some believe that he may be up for the position.

W magazine editor Stefano Tonchi reluctantly gave Galliano his endorsement to head Schiaparelli at last week’s Costume Institute Gala, according to the Cut. Galliano has already proven himself to be more than capable of handling the job – he succeeded in breathing new life into Dior when he became creative director of the brand in 1996, and continuously produced exquisitely detailed designs for the label.

Regardless of who is plucked for the position, Della Valle has all the essential plans in place for the Schiaparelli relaunch. The atelier renovations will be completed in July, the designer will be announced in September, and the first runway presentation will take place during Paris Fashion Week in March. But ultimately, whether or not Schiaparelli’s brand name will thrive in its second life is up to the well-heeled ladies who make up its target market.

“It’s how you deliver the product and message that will affect your success,” said Fink. “Fashion is terribly fleeting in its recognition of things new.”

Click on the slide show to see images of Elsa Schiaparelli’s designs.

The first season of NBC’s “Fashion Star” is finally at its end after 10 weeks of outrageous runway shows filled with scantily clad dancers, bright lights, and blazing fireworks — oh yeah, and clothes too. Three contestants — Kara Laricks, Ronnie Escalante, and Nzimiro Oputa — remained, and only one could be the fashion reality show’s winner. For the finale, each designer had to create a three-piece capsule collection for each of the three retailers: H&M, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy’s. With $6 million ($2 million from each retailer) in buys awaiting the winner, everybody put forth their best effort.

First up was the trend-driven, mass-market retailer H&M. Laricks went for a graphic circle print maxi dress, tan drop crotch cropped suit, orange shorts, and a white sleeveless collared blouse. Oputa, who primarily designs menswear, created a summery collection, stepping out of his comfort zone with a women’s ensemble — a shrunken version of his men’s aesthetic consisting of a vest, sleeveless shirt, and trousers — and two men’s shirts with tilted pockets and leather accents, and pants and shorts. Escalante, the quiet one of the bunch, made a jumpsuit, suit, and flirty cocktail dress.

All three of the designers pretty much nailed it. H&M buyer Nicole Christie told Laricks that the drop crotch was “bold, but a bit difficult for the H&M customer.” Oputa’s ladies outfit “blew my socks off,” she said. For Escalante, Christie said that his choice of black was a little off for the retailer, but that “we can definitely see you selling those garments at H&M.” Not bad, considering it took him five weeks to make his first sale.

Next, the finalists put out their collections for the high-end luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue. Oputa teased Laricks, calling her the “Saks Princess” because of her numerous sales to the retailer. Laricks put out a gorgeous gold evening dress with tail details, a trench coat, and slacks. Oputa traveled to the beach for his Saks collection, creating three men’s looks. Escalante went for elegance with a long short-sleeved floral dress, a short cocktail dress, and a women’s white suit.

“You are absolutely a leader, not a follower,” mentor John Varvatos told Laricks, after praising the trench and the evening dress.” Saks buyer Teron Schaefer went gaga for Oputa’s collection, telling him “it was the perfect wardrobe for a beach weekend.” Escalante got the harshest critique from Schaefer, who told him, ”I have a hard time believing it’s a capsule collection.”   

The designers’ collections for mid-market retailer Macy’s were showcased last. Laricks, who has struggled to reach the mass consumer, created a black sleeveless A-line dress, shorts, a sleeveless collared printed shirt, and a white suit. Oputa pegged the Macy’s customer with three looks that included a hooded men’s cardigan, a graphic polo, and on-trend men’s button-up shirts. Escalante again went for an inconsistent collection consisting of a double-lapel women’s suit, flowy floral evening dress, and three-quarters sleeve printed blocking dress.

“I absolutely think your line has a place in our stores on our contemporary floor,” Macy’s buyer Caprice Willard told Laricks. Oputa’s collection “nailed it,” according to Willard, who also questioned whether he could translate his designs into more structured looks. “Every single item was a perfect stand alone piece,” she told Escalante. “But could we make it work as a collection?”

The mentors and buyers deliberated over who should be the fashion star. They hailed the self-taught Oputa for his signature detailing in his slick menswear creations. They questioned whether Laricks had the ability to translate her mostly high-fashion aesthetic into more commercial looks. Varvatos called Escalante “the strongest” over the last four weeks. Willard said that Escalante was more “saleable,” but also said that she had “a lot of Ronnies on my floor.” If we tried to predict the winner from that footage, it would have been a toss-up.

So who received the monster $6 million purchase from Saks, Macy’s, and H&M? Laricks, the New York-based 38-year-old elementary school teacher turned designer. In our opinion, her designs overall were the most fashion forward out of the final three and we can’t wait to see if her name turns up in the future. As for the $6 million, it must have bought a lot of a high volume of quantity, because all of her garments are still available online. It has been a fun 10 weeks, “Fashion Star.” Until next season.

Related:
"Fashion Star" Episode 9 Report: Three Contestants Get the Ax and the Stella McCartney Copycat

"Fashion Star" Episode 8 Report: Advertisement Campaigns and the "Out of Africa" Failure

"Fashion Star:" Episode 7 Report: Karma Strikes and John Varvatos Fights for a Suit

"Fashion Star" Episode 6 Report: A Childhood Tale of Tenacity and the End of the "Two-Fer"
 

"Fashion Star" Episode 5 Report: Window Display Flop and Free Advice From H&M

“Fashion Star” Episode 4 Report: The Case of the Cocky Texan’s Tacky Petticoat and Snarky Celebrity References

"Fashion Star" Episode 3 Report: Party Rockers, a Trapeze Act, and the Return of the Plaid Fabric

"Fashion Star" Episode 2 Report: Jessica Simpson's Odd Dream, Plus Tie Dresses and Tuxedo Pants

NBC's Reality Show "Fashion Star" Fills a Void, With Style

The most striking thing about the opening reception for Tom Sachs’s “Space Program: Mars” – apart from the fact that he filled the gigantic Park Avenue Armory with faithful recreations of NASA interstellar travel machines – was the presence of so many little kids. Tykes bounced around at every glance, some wearing plastic space helmets, some in what could be called moon pants, some just dressed like kids and awed by the promise of space.

The duo of a youngster and Tom Sachs is a natural fit. You got a sense that when they looked into the guts of the Mars lander, they thought they were actually going to Mars. And the whole feel was one of glistening naivete. The proliferation of labels (permanent marker on construction tape) made the opening feel like the set of an as-yet-unmade Wes Anderson film about a journey into outer space. To the adults, who know better, these labels are marks of artifice that reference the sham, but invite us to believe like children anyway.

“Since the manned space program ended last September, it’s been left it up to us to hold the mantle high for future generations of American astronauts,” Sachs told ARTINFO as a few little girls in space helmets stood around, tapping their feet antsily.

“But it’s not really about space,” said his fiancée, Sarah Hoover. “It’s about studying all sorts of elements of humanity.”

“No, Sarah’s right, it’s not really about space,” Sachs said. “It’s about life on Earth, it’s about man’s achievements...”

“Tommy just wanted to have a lunar lander, and he can’t have it, so he had to make it,” chimed in a man who gave his name as Andrew. Sachs introduced him as the public relations manager. “Tommy’s work is about really wanting to own stuff.”

Sachs walked off, leaving us with his assistant and the wide-eyed little girls in space helmets. 

“It’s Deleuze and Guattari, it’s simulacra, it’s the fuckin’ cave,” Andrew went on. “Tommy’s a beer-drinking guy, a wild and tough guy, and he’s not gonna comp to that.”

Among the children, David Byrne walked around with T editor Sally Singer, Michael Stipe broke the no cellphones rule by texting on the bleachers, and Half Gallery owner Bill Powers administered indoctrination classes. Aspiring astronauts must pass a test before entering space, so Powers – who was wearing the really dope Tom Sachs for Nike sneakers – asked questions such as “Can you put the planets in order?” or “Are you a fork or a spoon?” Olivier Zahm is a spoon.

Right before we left, Kanye West arrived at the bar, wearing a black T-shirt and notably without his arm candy of late, Kim Kardashian. West has a thing about talking to the press, but when we approached him to have a chat he agreed that the opening was awesome. Then he made a gesture at our recorder.

“Let’s just have a conversation,” he said, staring up with a child’s grin at the space machines around us. “How was your day?”

Earlier this afternoon, somewhere "in the middle of Ohio," groundbreaking indie director John Waters was found hitchhiking on the side of a road.

Chuck Brown, the 75-year-old father of D.C. Go-go music, died on Wednesday, Tom Goldfogle, Brown's manager confirmed.

What do you get when you throw 10 of the world’s best photographers into a single city for a weeklong binge of documenting? This isn’t one of Ryan McGinley’s summer camp sessions, that’s for sure. The historic Magnum photography collective jumped into the 21st century with an Internet-enabled road trip as part of its “Postcards From America” project. From April 15 through 29, a crew of Magnum members, including Alec Soth, Martin Parr, and Alessandra Sanguinetti, landed in the aging Rust Belt city of Rochester, N.Y., and hit the ground running. While pursuing their muses across the landscape of upstate New York, the team posted their photos as they took them to an active blog. The site continues to feature new shots from the trip as they are edited by the photographers, who have returned home.

The Rochester project originated from an earlier Magnum road trip undertaken last year that stretched from San Antonio to Oakland, Calif. The adventure was meant to bring Magnum into the greater cultural consciousness through avenues other than gallery exhibitions and editorial publications. “Rather than waiting to be commissioned, we just made a decision to do something and hit the road,” Soth told the New Yorker. “We are trying as an agency to experiment with new ways of working together and engaging with our audience.” Why Rochester? Aside from its position as a symbol of American industrial decline, the city is also home to the Kodak film company, which filed for bankruptcy in February of this year, leaving more than 50,000 employees out of work.    

The real-time, improvisational experimentation is the most refreshing part of “Postcards From America.” Through the constantly updated blog (there have been three new posts today alone), it’s possible to catch a glimpse behind the working processes of the world’s most important documentary photographers. In the two-week period, the team moved toward the goal of producing 1,000 final images — 100 per photographer, a far cry from the years-long, intensively edited projects that the artists are accustomed to. The photographs published on the blog are messy, imperfect, and unpolished, but have a gritty immediacy that is too rarely found in long-term documentary photography series.

Photographer Jim Goldberg spent time at a nursing home and shot some touching portraits of Wilbur, a 94-year-old former Kodak worker. Parr brought his signature snide sense of humor to photos of Rochester bars, baseball games, and gas stations. Bruce Gilden contributed deadpan black-and-white portraits of locals, brightly lit and unyielding. Donovan Wylie scaled roofs to document Rochester’s urban architecture of blocky office buildings, parking garages, and empty lots. What emerges is an intimate portrait of a single city that is also a microcosm of America, a place of depth and diversity where anything can be found if you look hard enough. 

Click on the slide show for a selection of photographs from “Postcards From America” 

HONG KONG —  ART HK opened strongly Wednesday night with solid sales and a general consensus that the fair had taken a significant step up in quality this year. At previous editions there had been a justifiable suspicion that some international galleries were underestimating the sophistication of the local market and, although even this year a few still wondered whether exhibitors were bringing their best game to Hong Kong just weeks out from Art Basel, the high quality of works on offer was evident everywhere.

The normally overblown description “museum quality” could even be fairly applied to some of the galleries’ presentations — particularly notable in this category was Aquavella with Joan Mitchell and Galleria d'Arte Maggiore with Georgio Morandi. Meanwhile Michael Werner featured a superb selection of key works by German artists from the early 1920s through the end of the last century. Curated by Dr. Dimitri Ozerkov, the director of the contemporary art department at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the booth contained gems by artists such as Ernst Wilhelm Nay and Georg Baselitz, who has been exhibiting with Werner since his first show in 1963.

As is common with ART HK, sales proceeded generally at a leisurely pace, with modest opening success at the majority of galleries, a lot of conversation, and confidence of more to come. At Cheim & Reid, partner Adam Sheffer remarked that ART HK has its own relaxed rhythm. “It’s not like Art Basel where there is an explosion of sales in the first 20 minutes,” he said. A couple of hours into the vernissage the gallery had sold a Louise Bourgeois drawing for $100,000 and a collage by Donald Baechler for $50,000.

Hauser & Wirth and White Cube provided two outstanding exceptions to the leisurely rule. The former made a range of important sales over the night, including Zhang Enli’s canvas “The Curved Wires” (2012), for $165,000 to a Beijing-based collector and Bharti Kher’s mixed media “The Dragon, the Tiger, and the Phoenix” (2012), for $300,000 to a collector from Hong Kong. Meanwhile White Cube sold works from across their stable of gallery artists from Antony Gormley and Rachel Kneebone to Damien Hirst. The gallery was also basking in the glow of the successful opening of their Anselm Kiefer show at their Hong Kong space this week. Six canvases had already been sold at prices ranging from $600,000 to just under $1 million.

Notable sales at ART HK were also chalked up by a few others: de Sarthe Gallery had two oils by modern master Chu Teh Chun, including a superb work from 1969 for $3 million; Sprüth Magers sold a Sterling Ruby canvas at $155,000 to an Australian collector and a George Condo — “Toy Head” (2012) —  at $150,000 to an Asian collector; and Galerie Krinzinger had a success with an Angela De la Cruz oil for €43,000 and a Hans Op de Beeck sculpture “Butterflies” (2012), for €30,000.

Meanwhile, a shot of glamor was delivered to the event courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska, which was showing work by Wifredo Lam, side by side with a typically well-selected showing of modern masters from Joan Miro to Fernando Botero in a booth designed specifically for them by Zaha Hadid, who attracted a gaggle of admirers eager to catch a moment with Asia's current favorite "starchitect."

ART HK continues at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre through Sunday May 20. Click on our slideshow for a selection of works on show this year.

To see images from ART HK 2012, click on the slide show.

SALE: Latin American Art

LOCATION: Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips de Pury New York

DATE: May 21-24

ABOUT: Latin American art week begins next Monday at Phillips de Pury with an evening sale focused on more contemporary, avant-garde works, especially the neo-Concretist group of Brazilian artists such as Helio Oiticica and Lygia Clark (whose foldable, kinetic sculptures, entitled "Caranguejo," 1984, could bring $30,000-40,000). Colombian artist Fernando Botero continues to be one of the most sought-after Latin Americans at auction, especially his signature sculptures of rotund women. Phillips is offering a white marble sculpture, "Reclining Woman with Drapery" (2004) for an estimated $600,000-800,000.

As the week wears on, the focus will shift more toward the modern, and the top estimated lots at Sotheby's and Christie's are all from the 1930s and 40s. At Christie's, the top expected lot is a canary-yellow hued abstract "inscape" by Matta, "La révolte des contraires" estimated to fetch $1.8-2.5 million. The work has never been offered at auction, and has had only two or three owners since it was painted in 1944, according to Latin American department head Virgilio Garza. Thre is also a wide selection of Botero works, mostly paintings, and a somber 1937 canvas by Uraguan modernist Joaquin Torres-Garcia, "Grafismo universal sobre fondo gris" (est. $1-1.5 million).

The last evening sale of the week is at Sotheby's on Wednesday, where a rare Diego Rivera painting featuring a young peasant girl holding a basket, staring despondently across the room, will hit the block. "Niña en azul y blanco (retrato de Juanita Rosas a los diez años de edad)" (1939), which was last seen at auction in 1992 at Christie's, is estimated to sell for $4-6 million. Sotheby's will also be offering a part of the collection of the late billionaire art collector Theodore Forstmann, mostly works by Botero and Rufino Tamayo. 

OTHER INTERNATIONAL SALES:

Sale: Dortheum Auction Week May 2012
Location: Dortheum Vienna
Date: May 21-24

Sale: The Gunter Sachs Collection Evening Auction
Location: Sotheby's London
Date: May 22, 7pm

Sale: Wines, Single Malt Whisky, and Man's Chan Cognac Collection
Location: Bonhams Hong Kong
Date: May 23, 6pm

Sale: Modern Art Evening Sale
Location: Lempertz Cologne
Date: May 22

Sale: Wine
Location: Christie's Hong Kong
Date: May 26, 10:30am