On Wednesday January 15, 2020, the original paintings for Victor Adame Minguez’s Theros Beyond Death Saga, Kiora Bests the Sea God, and its associated Kraken token were sold on the MTG Art Market for $4,500 and $2,800 respectively.
Kiora Bests the Sea God by Victor Adame Minguez, acrylics on paper, 8.5″ x 20″
Kraken Token by Victor Adame Minguez, oils on paper, 9″ x 11.5″
Kiora Bests the Sea God and its Kraken are both traditional works by Victor Adame Minguez. The Saga is painted in acrylics on paper and measures 8.5 inches by 20 inches, while the Kraken token is a work of oil on paper measuring 9 inches by 11.5 inches. Minguez has illustrated over 100 cards for Magic and these two among six illustrations by his hand for the brand new set Theros Beyond Death.
The auction was run on the MTG Art Market by “MountainMage” Matthew Schneider acting as agent for the artist; the same person has sold Minguez’s previous traditional works in the past. Bidding was active and consistent throughout the auction, with some collector’s seeking just to by the Saga and several others trying to keep the matched pair together on the same wall.
Although the auction would run through a Wednesday, the winning bids were placed on the Thursday and Friday before, with no advance at the end. While this is somewhat unusual, both of these works had considerable bidding activity when they were launched, and had risen to strong prices well before the auction close.
In keeping with the tradition of non-traditional art found on the vertically designed Saga cards, Kiora Bests the Sea God features Minguez’s penchant for line work, as if this age old story was told through ancient mariner’s charts. And his Kraken token, as seen below, is equal parts fantastic and hyper-realistic; it’s really something out of this world.
Both of these artworks are highlights of the set and were featured in the Theros Beyond Death Art Grand Tour, so check that out to hear even more about them!