RICARDO MARTÍNEZ | Mujer con fruta

Galería López Quiroga, Mexico City
Private Collection, Mexico (acquired from the above) 
Thence by descent

Luis Cardoza y Aragón, Ricardo Martínez, Mexico City, 1981, no. 30, illustrated in color n.p.

This work is in very good condition overall. The canvas is unlined and well-stretched. The colors are vibrant, and the media layer is stable. A two-inch diagonal line of craquelure is present in the upper right quadrant, which is stable. Under ultraviolet light inspection, two vertical two-inch drip accretions become apparent in the lower left quadrant, four inches from the edge. A third becomes apparent in the center right quadrant in the background, two inches from the edge. Three one-inch circular areas of very faint fluorescence occur in the upper left quadrant.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"The whole corpus of Ricardo Martínez's creation is linked to the indigenous universe in a process of decantation that was narrowed down to its centre in the pre-Columbian world. At the beginning, peasants and indians appeared on the canvas working the soil... in time, cacti, guitars and all those elements that contributed to the narrative disappeared from his iconography, while the characters represented in their indigenous features became larger and acquired an ancestral air. The human figure became the only focus of attention and, paradoxically, on the demise of descriptive elements in the paintings, the idea of Mexicanidad became universal."  María Fernanda Matos Moctezuma, "Artistic Production. 1980-2009," in Ricardo Martínez a 100 Años de su nacimiento, Mexico City, 2018, pp. 298-99



We wish to thank the Fundación Ricardo Martínez for their kind assistance in confirming the authenticity of this lot.