A Latin American masters auction anchors the biggest fall sale in Larsen Gallery's history, with three major 20th-century figures from Venezuela and Chile going under the hammer alongside a strong roster of women artists. The Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, holds its Fall Art Auction on Saturday, October 17, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and this edition marks the 21st installment of the gallery's biannual sale, widely regarded as Arizona's largest contemporary art auction.
The scale is notable even by Larsen's own standards. The sale includes 440 lots carrying a combined estimate of $580,000 to $930,000, spanning contemporary, modern, Southwestern, Native American and Latin American art, along with limited-edition prints and sculpture. Individual pieces range from a few hundred dollars to well into six figures, giving both first-time buyers and serious collectors something to bid on.
The Latin American Masters Leading the Sale
Three names carry the weight of this auction's Latin American section: Jesús Rafael Soto and Oswaldo Vigas, both Venezuelan, and Roberto Matta of Chile. Each represents a different strand of the movements that made Latin American art central to 20th-century modernism, from kinetic art to Surrealism.
Jesús Rafael Soto's Variantes Vertical
Soto (1923 to 2005) was one of the founding figures of Op and Kinetic art, a Venezuelan painter and sculptor who spent most of his career in Paris after leaving Venezuela in 1950. His piece in this sale, the 1998 sculpture "Variantes Vertical," is built from painted wood and metal mounting hardware and carries an estimate of $100,000 to $200,000. It reflects the same preoccupations that defined his career: movement, perception and the way a viewer's own position changes what a piece appears to be. Soto eventually founded a museum devoted to his work in his hometown, and his art continues to be tracked closely by dealers such as Artnet, which describes him as an artist whose "delicate and responsive constructions react to external stimuli and changes in the atmosphere."
Oswaldo Vigas' Grupo Azul
The most valuable single lot in the auction is Vigas' 1976 oil-on-canvas painting "Grupo Azul," estimated at $130,000 to $180,000. Vigas was a central figure in Venezuelan modernism, and works from this period of his career, when he was developing the dense, figure-and-mask-based vocabulary he became known for, regularly command strong prices at auction houses that specialize in Latin American art.
Roberto Matta's Untitled
Rounding out the trio is a 1995 oil-on-canvas "Untitled" work by Matta, estimated between $70,000 and $100,000. Matta's paintings characteristically draw on Surrealist ideas, using loose, biomorphic forms to suggest the workings of the subconscious mind rather than a fixed scene or object. That approach, developed over decades in Paris and New York, places him among the artists who helped carry Latin American Surrealism onto the international stage.
Larsen Gallery's Mary Holford summed up the depth of this year's offering plainly: "This is one of those auctions where the strength really becomes apparent when you start looking closely at the individual works."
Women Artists Take Center Stage
The fall sale doesn't stop at its Latin American masters. French artist Françoise Gilot's 1992 oil-on-canvas "Springtime in the Hills" is offered alongside pieces by American abstract painter Emily Mason and contemporary sculptor Beth Cavener, giving the auction a genuinely international spread of women whose careers cut across painting and sculpture.
Pairing these names with Soto, Vigas and Matta is a deliberate curatorial choice rather than a coincidence of consignment. It puts foundational modern figures next to artists whose critical reputations have been built, or rebuilt, over the past two decades, a trend that mirrors what's happening at the major auction houses. Sotheby's has noted its own Latin American art sales have grown sharply in recent years, a sign that the category as a whole, and the women within it, are attracting broader collector attention.
Why This Sale Matters for Collectors
Larsen Gallery has built its reputation over more than three decades as a secondary-market destination, and this sale extends that track record. The gallery has generated more than $25 million in lifetime auction sales, and its most recent spring sale drew buyers from more than 40 states and 20 countries, according to figures shared with the press. Notable past consignors include rock musician Alice Cooper, who once consigned an Andy Warhol piece through the gallery, a reminder that Scottsdale's secondary market pulls interest well beyond Arizona.
For collectors new to the category, a few things are worth understanding about how a sale like this works:
Estimates are a guide, not a ceiling. The published range for "Grupo Azul" or "Variantes Vertical" reflects auction house research into comparable sales, not a hard cap; strong bidding can push a lot well past its high estimate.
Provenance and condition drive value. Works by Soto, Vigas and Matta vary widely in price depending on period, medium and exhibition history, which is why two paintings from the same artist can carry very different estimates.
Preview before you bid. Collectors can view lots in person during the month leading up to the sale, which is the best way to judge scale, surface and condition on sculptural works like Soto's mounted pieces.
Readers who want to go deeper on any of these names can browse related artist profiles Latin American painters and sculptors working in similar traditions.
How to Bid or Preview the Works
The Larsen Gallery is located at 3705 N. Bishop Lane in Scottsdale's fine art district, a block west of Scottsdale Road. The gallery accepts telephone, absentee, online and in-person bidding, and lots are viewable at the gallery during the preview period ahead of the sale. Collectors who can't attend Saturday's live sale in person can register to bid remotely through the gallery's own auction platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Larsen Fall Art Auction? It's the biannual fall sale held by Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, one of two auctions the gallery runs each year alongside its spring sale. This is the 21st installment of the series and includes 440 lots across contemporary, modern, Southwestern, Native American and Latin American art.
Who are the featured Latin American artists in this sale? The headline names are Venezuelan artists Jesús Rafael Soto and Oswaldo Vigas and Chilean artist Roberto Matta, with individual works estimated between $70,000 and $200,000.
Which women artists are included in the sale? French painter Françoise Gilot, American abstract painter Emily Mason and contemporary sculptor Beth Cavener are among the women artists featured alongside the Latin American masters.
How can I preview or bid on lots before the auction? Lots can be viewed at the gallery during the month before the sale, and bidders can register for telephone, absentee, online or in-person bidding through the gallery's own auction site.
Is Larsen Gallery only focused on Latin American art? No. The gallery's inventory spans contemporary, modern, Southwestern and Native American art in addition to Latin American work, and it hosts consignments from private collectors as well as galleries nationwide.
