Maria Martins Bronze Sculpture Sells for $3.17M, Shattering Record
On May 14, the Rago Wright auction house achieved a remarkable sale of Maria Martins's bronze sculpture, Impossible (1946), fetching $3.17 million. This amount surpassed the presale estimate of $150,000 to $200,000 and established a new auction high for the Brazilian Surrealist artist. The previous record, set in 2014 by Sotheby's, was $329,000 for Untitled (1950). Since 2003, only 22 works by Martins have been auctioned, with twelve pieces sold in 2025 for $337,676. Interest in her art has grown, evidenced by 23 searches in the latter half of 2025 and 59 in 2026. Considered her most significant sculpture, Impossible has three versions. Martins studied music in Rio, sculpture in Paris, and ceramics in Kyoto before relocating to New York in 1939, where she passed away in 1973.
Key facts
- Maria Martins's bronze sculpture Impossible (1946) sold for $3.17 million on May 14 at Rago Wright.
- The presale estimate was $150,000 to $200,000.
- The sale set a new auction record for the artist, surpassing $329,000 for Untitled (1950) sold by Sotheby's in 2014.
- Only 22 Martins works have been auctioned since 2003; three were bought in.
- Twelve Martins works sold in 2025 for a total of $337,676.
- Artnet Price Database searches for Martins increased from 23 in H2 2025 to 59 in 2026.
- Three iterations of Impossible exist; one at MoMA Rio, one at MoMA New York, and the sold example is thought to be the earliest.
- The auction attracted 12 phone bidders, 9 absentee bidders, and 3 online bidders over six minutes.
Entities
Artists
- Maria Martins
- Marcel Duchamp
- Jacques Lipschitz
Institutions
- Rago Wright
- Sotheby's
- Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Artnet Price Database
- Rago/Wright
Locations
- Rio de Janeiro
- Brazil
- Paris
- France
- Kyoto
- Japan
- New York
- United States