NEW YORK, NY.- A rare version of Maria Martins' Impossible (1946), a key work of Surrealist sculpture, will be offered in Rago/Wright's May 14th Post War & Contemporary Art auction, marking one of the most significant appearances of the artist's work in recent years.
One of only three known examples, Impossible is exceptional not only for its rarity but also for its institutional context: the other two examples are held in museum collections, making this the only version currently in private hands to become available.
"Major works by Maria Martins, of this scale and importance, almost never come to market," said Lauren Bradley, Director of Fine Art at Rago/Wright.
Estimated at $150,000–200,000, the sculpture exemplifies Martins' singular visual language, merging biomorphic forms with mythological and psychological themes. Created during Martins' New York period in the 1940s, Impossible reflects her close intellectual and personal relationship with Marcel Duchamp—an exchange widely seen as shaping some of the most psychologically charged works of Surrealism.
"Works of this caliber are rarely seen at auction because it's really, in effect, her masterpiece," says Francis M. Naumann, leading Duchamp scholar and author of Impossible: The Love Affair between Marcel Duchamp & Maria Martins. "Things like that are usually already in museums. Luckily, there are three versions of this. The other two are already in museums. This one isn't."
Martins, a Brazilian artist active in the United States and Europe, developed a distinctive sculptural vocabulary influenced by Amazonian mythologies and Surrealist biomorphism. Her work explores themes of transformation, desire, and the generative forces of nature, often blending human, vegetal, and animal forms into psychologically charged compositions.
The present example is believed to be the earliest of the three, further underscoring its importance within Martins' oeuvre. Impossible stands as one of the most powerful expressions of Surrealist sculpture of the mid-20th century and a defining work of the artist's career.
Impossible will be on view in New York through May 14th at Rago/Wright, 501 West 20th Street, ahead of the Post War & Contemporary Art auction taking place in Lambertville on Thursday, May 14th at 11 am Eastern.
