Angel Otero’s Auction Record Broken for the Third Time This Year

This month’s dramatic results may signal a coming acceleration of Otero’s secondary market; 2021 is poised to be a banner year for his work at auction not only in terms of value, but also supply. His works have never been offered at auction more than 10 times in a given year (and that was 2014); at the halfway mark of 2021, his paintings have already hit the auction block seven times. This recent velocity may be the result of Otero’s increasingly international collector base: In the past five years he’s had five solo shows with Lehmann Maupin at the gallery’s spaces in Hong Kong, Seoul, and New York. His work will also be included in the inaugural group show at the gallery’s new pop-up space in Aspen, Colorado—a popular destination for summering collectors—opening later this week. With collectors far and wide becoming familiar with his work, look for it to keep outperforming expectations at auction.