NEW YORK, NY.- Rago/Wright will present two major auctions on May 14th: Pure Edge: American Geometric Abstraction, Selected Works from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires and Post War & Contemporary Art. Together, these sales offer a compelling survey of 20th- and 21st-century artistic innovation, spanning the clarity and rigor of geometric abstraction to masterworks from a wide range of post-war and contemporary artists.

A centerpiece of the Post War & Contemporary Art auction is Maria Martins’s 1946 bronze Impossible (est. $150,000–200,000), one of the most significant works by the Brazilian-born Surrealist sculptor to appear at auction in recent years. Created during her pivotal New York period, the sculpture exemplifies Martins’s distinctive synthesis of Surrealist biomorphism with the mythologies and natural imagery of the Amazon. Its hybrid, sensuous forms—part human, part vegetal, part animal—speak to themes of transformation, desire, and the generative forces of nature that define her work.

Impossible also reflects Martins’s close engagement with the Surrealist circle in exile, including her influential and deeply personal relationship with Marcel Duchamp. The artistic dialogue between the two during the 1940s has been widely understood as mutually generative, shaping the psychological intensity and formal experimentation evident in Martins’s sculpture. Believed to be the earliest of three known casts, this offering underscores the artist’s importance within the movement and stands as one of the most powerful sculptural statements of mid-century Surrealism. "Major works by Maria Martins, of this scale and importance, almost never come to market," says Lauren Bradley, Rago/Wright Fine Art Director.

Leading a strong selection of painting and works on paper is Sam Gilliam’s 1970 Sun Woman (est. $300,000–500,000); this pivotal early work is documented in Fendrick Gallery records as having been rolled alongside a similar Gilliam painting, Mazda (1970), now in the permanent collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Additional highlights include Miyoko Ito’s 1957 oil painting Adam and Eve (est. $200,000–300,000), as well as Hannah Wilke’s Seura Chaya #3 (est. $100,000–150,000) and Amoako Boafo’s 2019 portrait Girl in Yellow (est. $80,000–120,000), works that each offer their own distinct approaches to the human figure.

Sculptural highlights further underscore the breadth of the sale, led by Annie Morris’s 2015 Stack 7 (Ultramarine Blue) (est. $150,000–200,000), alongside Joan Miró’s 1978 bronze Tête (est. $70,000–90,000) and Magdalena Abakanowicz’s 1993 Small Figure with Polygon (est. $70,000–90,000). The sale also includes multiple works by Lynn Chadwick, including the 1960 bronze Two Watchers V (est. $40,000–60,000).

Immediately preceding Post War & Contemporary Art, Pure Edge introduces a rare and cohesive group of nineteen works from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires (MACBA), one of South America’s foremost collections of American geometric abstraction. This focused presentation highlights the achievements of the Hard-Edge, Op, and Minimalist movements, featuring standout works such as John McCracken’s Black Block (est. $80,000–120,000) and Paul Feeley’s 1964 oil painting Alphard (est. $100,000–150,000). Additional works by artists including Oli Sihvonen, Ilya Bolotowsky, and Thomas Downing further underscore this defining moment in American art. With exceptional institutional provenance, the collection offers collectors a unique opportunity to acquire historically significant works while supporting MACBA’s future acquisitions.

“These dual offerings underscore Rago/Wright’s expanding leadership in presenting important post-war painting and sculpture,” says Fine Art Director Meredith Hilferty. “We’re deeply proud to bring works of this caliber to market.”