Born in Panamá and raised in Cartagena, Neo-figurative artist Enrique Grau is remembered for his contributions to Colombian art in the 20th century. Grau studied at the Arts Student League of New York from 1941-1943 and in 1959 was honored with the National Prize in the Salon of Latin American Art, Cartagena. By 1972, he became the Director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Cartagena. Best known for his depictions of Amerindian and Afro-Colombian figures, Grau’s paintings commonly include one or more figures combined with decorative still life elements exquisitely balanced, often in dreamlike settings.

In the present lot, Grau presents a portrait of a woman at three quarter length wearing a red dress. Her eyes gaze down at her hands entangled in string, referencing cat’s cradle, the history of which has been linked to many indigenous cultures throughout the world. To the right of the figure is a cup set on top of a table and in the forefront an exquisite geometric structure stands. This painting has a mystical quality and like many of Grau’s works employs a flattened picture plane, encouraging the viewer to focus on the shapes and colors that build the figure and objects included.