Lygi Clark's sculpture Bicho parafuso sem fim (1960) is valued at $1.5m-2.5m ahead of Phillips' Latin America sale in New York on May 29.

Clark was a Brazilian artist associated with the local constructivist and tropicalia scenes during the 1950s and 1960s before going on to co-found the neo-concretist movement.

Lygia Clark is one of Brazil's most important artists

She described the Bicho series thus: "Each Bicho is an organic entity which is totally revealed within the inner time of expression. It has affinities with the mollusc and the shell.

"It is a living organism, an essentially active work. Between you and it there is the establishing of a total, essential interaction. In the relationship established between you and the Bicho there is no passiveness, neither yours nor its."

Her record at auction stands at $2.2m, set for Contra Relevo at Phillips New York in 2012.

The Brazilian art market is currently growing in strength, both domestically and abroad, with an 8% rise in export sales between 2011 and 2012.

Physichromie No. 651 by Carlos Cruz-Diez, valued at $200,000-300,000, is another highlight.

The work is from the artists series of optical works, which appear different depending on where the viewer stands.

His auction record was set in April 2012, when Physichromie No. 511 sold for $519,000 against a $200,000 estimate.

You can check out our art and photography memorabilia here.

Why not sign up to our free newsletter?