The Gold-Leaf Work That Set Olga de Amaral's Auction Record
3 min read · 12 May 2025
Pueblo X. Image courtesy of Sotheby's
Olga de Amaral's Pueblo X (2013) sold for $698,500, more than two and a half times the low estimate at Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The gold leaf, acrylic and gesso on linen wall hanging, acquired directly from the artist, had not been traded before.
In the 1970s, Amaral met the ceramic artist Lucie Rie in the UK and discovered the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold, kintsugi. Inspired, the Colombian textile artist embraced gold leaf to create her increasingly ambitious textile works.
In 2024-25, the Fondation Cartier in Paris presented the 92-year-old fibre artist's first European retrospective, which traveled to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami (May 1 - October 2025).
Cesta Lunar 50a. Image courtesy of Sotheby's
The sale beat the Colombian artist’s previous auction record by $143,500, a 25% rise. Her previous record was set by Cesta Lunar 50a (1991), which sold for $555,000 at Sotheby's on November 15, 2018. The work had not been traded before.
A Brief History of Olga de Amaral at Auction
| Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-14 | Pueblo X | $698,500 | 26 % | Sotheby's | New York |
| 2018-11-15 | Cesta Lunar 50a | $555,000 | 24 % | Sotheby's | New York |
| 2015-11-18 | Umbra 53 | $449,000 | 83 % | Phillips | New York |
| 2014-11-25 | Sombra Azul | $245,000 | 42 % | Sotheby's | New York |
| 2014-05-13 | Triptico en Oro | $173,000 | 67 % | Bonhams | New York |
| 2012-11-20 | Montaña | $103,300 | 290 % | Christie's | New York |
| 1999-10-12 | Umbra 12 | $26,500 | - | Christie's | London |
