From the Files

+ In 1926, Tamayo had his first solo show in New York, at the Weyhe Gallery- three years before his first one-man show at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, his native Mexico's most prestigious art showcase.

+ Mujer arreglandose el pelo, 1944, which sold for $209,600 in November 2003 at Sotheby's, holds Tamayo's auction record for a work on paper. Privately, such works sell in the range of $60,000 to $70,000.

+ Tamayo completed only about 11 sculptures, and they maintain a consistent price range between $200,000 and $300,000.

+ In 1981, Tamayo unveiled his Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporaneo, in Mexico City. He fashioned it to be a contemporary art museum on a broad scale—beginning with artists like Mark Rothko— instead of just an exhibition space for his own work.

+ Monterrey, Mexico, is the place to see the artist at his grandest: The city is home to two cosmic Tamayo murals, Eclipse total, 1977, and El universo, 1982, as well as an 89-foot-tall metal sculpture, Homenaje al sol, 1980.