In the present work, two larger-than-life figures can be seen lunging through stalks of sugarcane, knives in hand and arms outstretched, sweeping back to slice at the roots. A skilled technician, Carreño executed the present work using duco, an industrial paint known for its difficulty to manipulate. While Carreño employed the use of duco only during a brief period of time — some would say, among the most critical years of his decades-long oeuvre — his mastery of this highly complex media takes center stage in the present work, creating a relief-like, three-dimensional surface which further exaggerates the towering and immersive power of Cortadores de caña. One of the most iconic images of la vanguardia Cubana, the work was included in the landmark Museum of Modern Art, New York exhibition Modern Cuban Painters, organized in 1944 by founding museum director, Alfred H. Barr. Sotheby’s established the current auction record for Carreño in May 2007, when we sold Danza afro-cubana, also from 1943, for $2.6 million (estimate $600/800,000) in our Latin American Art auction. In addition, an impressive selection of works by Mexican masters is led by Rufino Tamayo’s Madre Feliz from 1949 – a joyful canvas that demonstrates the artist's mastery of figural abstraction and dynamic use of color (estimate $1.2/1.8 million). Superlative examples of Mexican Modernism from the collection will be on offer in our day sale of Impressionist & Modern Art. The group is highlighted by two extremely rare and historical works by José Clemente Orozco from 1941: La Cantina (estimate $600/800,000) and Acordada (Caballos y zapatistas) (estimate $500/700,000). The two oils are coming to auction this June during a time of renewed interest in Mexican art, coinciding with the current exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925 – 1945, which explores relationships of influence between Mexican and United States artists throughout the 20th century. Additional important works by Rufino Tamayo and Alice Rahon will also be featured in the June Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale. Created in 1970, Figuras is a striking large-scale and abstract canvas from Rufino Tamayo’s mature production (estimate $1.5/2 million), and Alice Rahon’s rare Self-Portrait (Autorretrato) from 1951 (estimate $80/120,000). Highlights from the collection on offer in our day auction of Contemporary Art include Fernando Botero’s The President from 1971, in which the artist satirizes systemic political corruption in Latin America, one of the most celebrated themes in his oeuvre (estimate $800,000/1.2 million).