The gavel fell, and art history rewrote itself. Leonora Carrington's 1945 masterpiece "Les Distractions de Dagobert" achieved $28.5 million at Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction on May 15, 2024 – a 700% increase over her previous auction record of $3.26 million.
The Work: Surrealist Magnificence
Painted during Carrington's most productive period in Mexico, the work exemplifies her unique fusion of Celtic mythology, alchemical symbolism, and proto-feminist consciousness. Its rarity on the market – this was the first offering of a major Carrington in years – contributed to its explosive result.
The Sale: Ten Minutes of History
Multiple bidders competed for nearly ten minutes before Eduardo F. Costantini, Argentine billionaire and founder of MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), secured the prize. The estimate had been $12-18 million – the final price exceeded the high by 58%.
The Significance: Women Surrealists Arrive
This result makes Carrington the most valuable British-born woman artist at auction, placing her among the top five most valuable women artists overall (alongside Louise Bourgeois, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Joan Mitchell). Remarkably, her price now exceeds auction records for male Surrealist giants Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí.
Market Implications
The Carrington result signals a broader re-evaluation of women Surrealists. Expect increased attention to Remedios Varo, Leonor Fini, Dorothea Tanning, and others previously relegated to supporting roles in the Surrealist narrative. The market has finally caught up with scholarship.