On the 28th and 29th of November, 2023, the much-awaited appointment dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art at Il Ponte’s Auction House returns, filled with historical works by national and international artists, presenting interesting estimates and starting bids.
A first and significant space is reserved for the collection of works from the early 20th century in Italy, where two masterpieces by Angelo Morbelli stand out, “La sedia vuota” (€ 8,000 - 12,000) and “Il Natale dei rimasti” (€ 10,000 - 15,000), both executed in 1902 and enhanced by an exceptional exhibition history, including: “Mostra di bianco e nero” at Vialle Reale, Milan, in 1905; Galleria Pesaro, Milan, 1929-1930; Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan, 1970; Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome, from June 25 until August 29, 1982; to name the most relevant ones.
Also highlighted in this section are Giorgio de Chirico with the painting “Cavallo bianco e zebra in corsa in riva al mare” (€ 150,000 - 250,000), created around 1932; Carlo Carrà with an iconic seascape from 1941 (€ 15,000 - 25,000); together with Felice Casorati, Filippo de Pisis and Zoran Mušič.
Lot 2
Angelo Morbelli,
"Il Natale dei rimasti" 1902, conté and pastel on paper, 53.5x102.5 cm.
Signed and dated 1902 center right.
Estimate € 10,000 - 15,000
Lot 29
Giorgio de Chirico,
"Cavallo bianco e zebra in corsa in riva al mare" circa 1932, oil on canvas, 50x65 cm.
Signed lower right.
Estimate € 150,000 - 250,000
An important nucleus of Futurist works from a Milanese private collection stands out in the catalogue, including works by Gino Severini’s “Paesaggio urbano con luci artificiali”, 1913 (€ 35,000 - 45,000); Roberto Marcello Baldessari’s “Omaggio a Carrà”, 1914 (€ 10,000 - 15,000); Gerardo Dottori’s “Temporale - città”, 1919 (€ 10,000 - 15,000); and Enrico Prampolini’s “Paesaggio dinamico” from 1917 (€ 20,000 - 25,000).
Also emerging from this collection is Fortunato Depero's work “Five Rays of the Day” from 1922 (€ 12,000 - 18,000). Maurizio Scudiero commented it as «an important historical work from perhaps Depero's most interesting time, that is the first half of the 1920’s».
Lot 5
Gino Severini,
"Paesaggio urbano con luci artificiali" 1913, charcoal on paper, 21.6x28.6 cm.
Signed and dated 1913 lower right.
Estimate € 35,000 - 45,000
Lot 7
Enrico Prampolini,
"Paesaggio dinamico" 1917, oil on board, 40x50 cm.
Signed lower left.
Estimate € 20,000 - 25,000
Lot 10
Fortunato Depero,
"Five Rays of the Day" 1922, ink, diluted ink and tempera on paper, 39x61.5 cm.
Signed and dated 1922 lower right.
Estimate € 12,000 - 18,000
The catalogue highlights the extraordinary finding of Bruno Munari “Buccia di Eva” 1929-30 (€ 60,000 - 80,000), exhibited at the “Mostra futurista dell’architetto Sant’Elia e 22 pittori futuristi” held at the Galleria Pesaro in Milan in October 1930. It is, in fact, the only work saved from this prestigious collection that circulated in Europe in the 1930’s. Due to the tumultuous events of the pre-war period, the collection remained stuck abroad and was subsequently completely dispersed. Therefore, the re-emergence of the work "Buccia di Eva" is a remarkable fact, both because it allows us to add a further piece to the studies on the early Futurist Munari and, more generally, on the study of the artistic movement.
Lot 9
Bruno Munari,
"Buccia di Eva" 1929-30, tempera on canvas, 80x205 cm.
Signed at lower right.
Estimate € 60,000 - 80,000
Of notable interest is the section dedicated to the informal current which boasts the extraordinary presence of "Collina a Imbersago (Paesaggio con figure)," a work from 1956 by Ennio Morlotti, with museum-sized dimensions, previously in the Ponti-Loren collection (€ 60,000 - 80,000).
Adding to the excitement for enthusiasts is a wardrobe by Lucio Fontana (€ 50,000 - 70,000) commissioned in 1956 for a Milanese residence. This wardrobe serves as an interesting testimony to the active participation that the artist had, alongside numerous architects, in the architectural renewal project that impacted the city of Milan between the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Deserving a special mention is the masterpiece by Emilio Scanavino, "Tempo di preghiera" from 1964 (€ 40,000 - 60,000): a historical work by the Ligurian artist of considerable size and presented in numerous exhibitions.
Lot 43
Ennio Morlotti,
"Collina a Imbersago (Paesaggio con figure)" 1956, oil on canvas, cm 207.5x167.
Estimate € 60,000 - 80,000
Lot 69
Lucio Fontana,
Lucio Fontana, "Decorazione di armadio per ingresso" 1956, colored paints, holes, glass on wood, 182x219x45 cm.
Signed and dated 56 at bottom. Designed by architect Renato Angeli.
Estimate € 50,000 - 70,000
Lot 73
Emilio Scanavino,
"Tempo di preghiera" 1964, oil on canvas, 130x162 cm.
Signed lower right. Signed, titled, and dated 1964 on the reverse.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
The collection dedicated to the Forma 1 group includes works by Giulio Turcato, Carla Accardi, Antonio Sanfilippo, Piero Dorazio, Achille Perilli, and last but not least, a marble sculpture by Pietro Consagra, 180 cm tall, exhibited in 1989 at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome (€ 30,000 - 50,000).
The list continues with the "Roman" artists Giuseppe Capogrossi, Mario Schifano, and Alighiero Boetti, whose rare tapestry made in Kabul in 1979 (€ 25,000 - 35,000) is present.
Regarding artists who have explored the surface, the catalogue highlights two overlapping canvases by Paolo Scheggi (€ 70,000 - 90,000 and € 60,000 - 80,000) and a shaped cardboard by Agostino Bonalumi (€ 20,000 - 30,000).
Lot 50
Pietro Consagra,
"Bianco Macedonia, verde cinese, diaspro nero e rosso" 1985, Chinese green marble and black and red jasper stone, cm 180x110x33 (without base: cm 160x110x22).
Signed and dated 85 lower right.
Estimate € 30,000 - 50,000
Lot 116
Alighiero Boetti,
"Il dolce far niente" 1979, embroidery on fabric, 23.2x24.2 cm.
Estimate € 25,000 - 35,000
Lot 77
Paolo Scheggi,
"Zone riflesse" 1966, red acrylic on three overlapping canvases, 60x80x5 cm.
Signed and dated 66 on the reverse.
Estimate € 70,000 - 90,000
Following in the catalog is a curated selection of works that span from Surrealism, highlighted by a large canvas by Roberto Matta (€ 40,000 - 60,000) and an oil painting by André Masson from 1931 (€ 40,000 - 60,000) from the prestigious Paul Rosenberg collection in New York; to the lyrical abstraction of the extraordinary gouache by František Kupka from circa 1925 (€ 35,000 - 50,000) and a rare Alexej von Jawlensky from 1914 (€ 40,000 - 60,000).
Standing out among the works of significant collector's interest is also the relief by Ben Nicholson, "Malta" (€ 35,000 - 50,000), executed in 1967 and exhibited the following year in the prestigious solo exhibition held at the Beyeler Gallery in Basel.
Lot 30
Roberto Matta,
"Senza titolo" 1964, oil on canvas, 114x146.5 cm.
Signed lower right.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
Lot 31
André Masson,
"L'Homme à la Grenade" 1931, oil on canvas, 73.3x60.2 cm.
Signed and dated 31 lower left.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
Lot 80
Ben Nicholson,
"Malta" 1967, oil and relief on board, 47.5x44.5 cm.
Signed, titled and dated 1967 on the reverse. Inscribed "ph.863" on the reverse.
Estimate € 35,000 - 50,000
Another highlight is the masterpiece by Renato Guttuso, "Il bosco d'amore" (€ 80,000 - 120,000): a canvas over 4 meters wide, exhibited in 1984 at Palazzo Reale in Milan and described by the renowned critic Giuliano Briganti as "You can’t get tired of looking at it."
As per tradition, a significant space is reserved for sculpture, featuring remarkable works by Arturo Martini, Giò Pomodoro, Lynn Chadwick, Fausto Melotti, Luigi Ontani, Edgardo Mannucci, Yves Klein, and the previously mentioned Lucio Fontana.
The auction continues on November 29 with the second session of the auction, which offers over 200 works by national and international artists.
Lot 104
Renato Guttuso,
"Il bosco d'amore" 1984, oil on canvas, 300x410.5 cm.
Signed lower right.
Estimate € 80,000 - 120,000