Untitled, 1967, Armando Morales

Oil and collage on canvas
40.25 x 32 inches

I’m excited about our most recent acquisition. It’s the oil painting you see above, by Armando Morales. Along with Francisco Zúñiga and Carlos Mérida, he is among the best-known and most sought after Central American Modernists.

This brings our collection of his work to seven pieces. We have one forest scene, three nudes, and, with this, three abstracts. Currently, the forest paintings demand the highest prices – ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. The nudes are typically bought and sold in the $30,000 to $50,000 range. But the early abstractions, like this one, which Morales did in the 1960s when he was living and working in New York, lag behind in valuations.

Suzanne bought it for a good price from a distressed buyer. It has excellent provenance and is a good size at 40 x 32 inches. In adding this piece, I’m betting that the gap between the forests, the nudes, and the abstractions will narrow as Morales’s reputation in the international art community continues to climb and the art-buying public realizes how great these early abstractions are.