First auction of art from Miami’s de la Cruz collection brought in $34 million

An iconic string of lights – a staple artwork from one of Miami’s most legendary art collections – sold at Christie’s auction house in New York City Tuesday evening for over $13 million.

The bidding was fast and fierce for the first round of Christie’s sale of the collection of Rosa de la Cruz, a globally lauded Miami art collector who died in February at age 81. Tuesday evening was the first in a series of auctions over several months to sell over 100 works from de la Cruz’s beloved collection, which used to be free and open to the public to view in a Design District museum. In total, the sale of 25 works from de la Cruz’s collection realized $34,401,100.

A $13 million string of lights? See some of the art that sold in the de la Cruz auction

The sale set auction records for Ana Mendieta and Felix Gonzalez-Torres, two late artists who Rosa championed during her lifetime. Also among the works for sale were a coveted flamingo-inspired painting by Miami native Hernan Bas (sold for $310,000 before fees), a Jim Hodges cascade of pink and white flowers that hung in de la Cruz’s home ($400,000 before fees) and the first painting she bought with her husband, Carlos, a businessman who made his fortune distributing Coca-Cola in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Five lots were sold for more than $1 million. Two Peter Doig works were hammered in at $3.3 million and $1,050,000. A Mark Grotjahn painting sold for $1.7 million, and an Albert Oehlen work sold for $1.2 million, before fees.

The star of the sale – and arguably the star of Rosa’s collection – was Gonzalez-Torres’ “Untitled (America #3),” a long string of 42 light bulbs. It was sold to the Pola Museum of Art in Hakone, Japan for a total of $13,635,000, including fees.

Auctioneer Georgina Hilton praised Rosa as a “true pioneering collector” and arts patron. Indeed, Rosa was a giant in Miami’s arts scene, and the de la Cruz’s contemporary art collection was considered to be among the best in the world. The couple, who met in Cuba as teenagers, amassed a collection of about 1,000 pieces and opened a museum to share their art with the public in 2009.

The museum was closed permanently the day she died. Weeks after Rosa’s death, Christie’s announced that it would sell the collection.

The bidding kicked off with a highlight of Rosa’s collection: a full set of Mendieta’s “Silueta Works in Mexico” series. Mendieta, a feminist Cuban-born performance artist, tackled issues of gender, violence and nature in her work until she died suddenly in 1985 at age 36. Her husband at the time was suspected of foul play.

The “Silueta” series was snagged for $277,200, breaking a record of $203,989 for the artist’s work in 2008. That record was broken again just moments later in the evening when a rare sculpture from Mendieta’s “Sandwoman” series was sold for $567,025. The delicate sculpture of the female form is made of sand.

Bidding for another Mendieta work, the only print she ever signed, started at $60,000 and was hammered in at $130,000. Before Tuesday evening, the first and only time Mendieta was featured in an evening sale was almost 10 years ago at Christie’s.

Three works by Gonzalez-Torres, a Cuban-born visual artist who had a close friendship with the de la Cruzes, were sold. A work Gonzalez-Torres gave to Rosa as a gift, a sculpture of two silver rings, was sold during the auction for $440,000 before fees.

Gonzales-Torres used everyday, unassuming objects in his work to symbolize memories and love. One of his most well known pieces is “Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.),“ which was dedicated to his partner who died from AIDS complications. It’s a pile of candy that people are invited to take from. Gonzalez-Torres died in 1996 at age 38 from AIDS complications.

“Rosa bought the finest examples by artists who pushed contemporary art forward in the 21st century, and collectors met the moment tonight,” said Julian Ehrlich, the head of sale for the Rosa de la Cruz Collection evening sale, in a statement. “The sale set a strong precedent.”

Carlos told the Herald that he decided to sell the collection for two main reasons. He didn’t want to burden his many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren with caring for the collection. And the collection wasn’t really his, it was Rosa’s passion. “It’s different now,” he said.

In 2009, Rosa was quoted in the New York Times acknowledging that the collection would likely be sold by an auction house one day. “Every collector needs to realize you can’t take it with you,” she said.

Despite a floundering art market, the de la Cruz offerings did well. All 25 lots for up sale (one work was withdrawn) were bought, with 21 raking in sales within or above their target range. As The Art Newspaper put it, it’s worth it for top auction houses to compete for major single-owner collections like de la Cruz’s.

The Christie’s auction also raised concerns and questions among Miami’s arts community when it comes to the scene’s dependence on privately-owned collections that display some of the most prestigious and precious artworks in the city, as reported by Hyperallergic.

Still, some works that were once part of the de la Cruz collection will remain in South Florida. From 2019 to 2023, the de la Cruzes donated 63 works to NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale.

NSU Art Museum is showing these works in “To Be as a Cloud,” an exhibition in honor of Rosa. The show includes pieces the couple donated by Jorge Pardo, Jason Rhoades and prominent Cuban artist José Bedia, alongside recent museum acquisitions including works by Joel Gaitan, Jared McGriff and Reginald O’Neal. The show is on view until July 28.

Bonnie Clearwater, the museum director and chief curator, has known the de la Cruzes since 1992. The museum often curates its exhibitions with pieces from its extensive collection, which means the de la Cruz donations are sure to be shown many times in the future, she said.

Clearwater noted that the de la Cruzes were generous in their support of the museum, especially when they’ve donated pieces they did not want to part with. She recalled a phone call she had with Carlos last year when he offered the museum “Lucero viene alumbrando,” a large circular Bedia work that Clearwater considers one of his masterpieces. Clearwater also expressed interest in another famed Bedia work, called his Ogun series.

“You mean those works that are hanging in my bedroom?” Carlos said over the phone. “I don’t think so.”

Months later, Clearwater sent the de la Cruzes a photo of the round Bedia painting hanging in an exhibition alongside Picasso ceramics. Within just minutes, Clearwater received an email offering the museum the Ogun series. There was a note from Carlos and Rosa: “We know you know what to do with this.”

In light of the Christie’s auction, Clearwater likened the de la Cruz collection to Gonzalez-Torres’ candy pile.

“People are invited to take the candy, eat and think about the sweet times of life,” she said. “If we think about the collection as the candy pile, it was a moment that brought us all together. It gave us the pleasure and sweetness of life. We each took a piece with us, and it’s now dispersed.”

This story was produced with financial support from individuals and Berkowitz Contemporary Arts in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.