The Italian 20th century burns the rooms of Palazzo Crivelli, sending a strong signal to the whole international auction market.
With +194% increase on reserve prices, 90% of lots sold and 2 world record prices, the Modern and Contemporary Art department totals over € 7.6 million in the two auction days of 29 and 30 November 2022. An extraordinary participation of the audience which is further confirmed by the over 100,000 online views and 11,000 digital readings to the catalogue.
Three artists, whose importance on the panorama of Italian art knows no boundaries, stand victorious on the podium: Alighiero Boetti with "La metà e il doppio" from 1979 (€ 600,000), Alberto Burri with the flaming "Combustione plastica" from 1961 (€ 512,500) and Josef Albers with "Homage to the Square" from 1964 (€ 350,000).
Lot 101
Alighiero Boetti, "La metà e il doppio", 1979, ballpoint pen on paper, cm 100x140 (two elements cm 100x70 each).
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity on photography issued by the Archivio Alighiero Boetti, Rome, with n. 10181.
Sold € 600,000
Lot 80
Alberto Burri, "Combustione plastica", 1961,
plastic, acrylic, combustion on cardboard, cm 32x31.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity on photography issued by the
Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini "Collezione Burri", Città di Castello, on 31-05-1993.
Sold € 512,500
Lot 71
Josef Albers, "Homage to the Square", 1964,
oil on masonite in its original frame, cm 40,6x40,6. This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings
by Josef Albers currently being prepared by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation under number JAAF 1976.1.36.
Sold € 350,000
The great jolt comes with the world record price for Fausto Pirandello who literally captivated the public with his "Bagnanti" from 1939 (€ 300,000), just as the "Ballerina" by Fortunato Depero (€ 250,000) that ignited the competition and the oil on canvas by Hans Hartung from 1952 (€ 250,000).
Lot 19
Fausto Pirandello, "Bagnanti" 1939, oil on canvas, cm 150x224,5.
Sold € 300,000
Lot 7
Fortunato Depero, "Ballerina", 1917 circa, oil on cardboard, cm 54x49.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Archivio Unico per il
Catalogo delle Opere Futuriste di Fortunato Depero, by Maurizio Scudiero, with the n. FD-0585-DIP.
Sold € 250,000
Lot 78
Hans Hartung, "T1952-41", 1952, oil on canvas, cm 55x46.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity on photography signed by the artist on 8 December 1974.
This work is registered at the Fondation Hans Hartung et Anna-Eva Bergman, Antibes, with n. T1952-41
and will be published in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné by the Fondation Hans Hartung et Anna-Eva Bergman, Antibes.
Sold € 250,000
The results for the small tempera on paper by Mario Sironi (€ 112,500) and the record price obtained by the painting by this exceptional “futurist” Bruno Munari (€ 75,000) are also impressive.
Lot 12
Mario Sironi, "Periferia con figura" 1929 circa,
tempera and pencil on paper laid down on canvas, cm 25.8x27.2.
Sold € 112,500
Lot 8
Bruno Munari, "Auto in corsa", 1930-1935 circa, oil on pressed board with plaster preparation, cm 17,5x69,5.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity on photography signed by the artist on 18-10-85.
Sold € 75,000
To represent a female success it’s the work of Carla Accardi (€ 225,000), followed by the excellent results obtained by Christo's "Wrapped portrait of Guido Le Noci" (€ 187,500), by Igor Mitoraj's "Torso alato" (€ 187,500) and from the gouache by Sam Francis (€ 125,000).
Lot 68
Carla Accardi, "Violarosso", 1963, casein on canvas, cm 97x146.
Sold € 225,000
Lot 97
Christo, "Wrapped portrait of Guido Le Noci" 1963-1974,
oil on canvas wrapped in polyethylene, metal staples and cord, cm 88x71x10.
Sold € 187,500
Lot 26
Igor Mitoraj, "Torso alato", 1985, bronze, h cm 184 (torso h cm 83; base h cm 101).
This work is registered at Archivio Mitoraj, Pietrasanta.
Sold € 187,500
Lot 77
Sam Francis, "Black, Blue and Yellow (Blue Gouache)", 1956/1958, watercolor, gouache and tempera on paper, cm 35,8x47,3.
This work is registered at the Sam Francis Foundation, Glendale, California, and published on the
Sam Francis Online Catalogue Raisonné Project with the n. SFF5.416 (Francis Archive SF56-094).
Sold € 125,000
Among the works on paper, the two "jewels" which formerly belonged to Magda and Riccardo Jucker have been found great appeal to the public: the drawing by Amedeo Modigliani from around 1914 (€ 112,500) and the gouache by Joan Mirò from 1952 (€ 93,750).
Lot 41
Amedeo Modigliani, "Nudo virile semisdraiato verso destra", 1914 circa,
blue pencil on paper laid down on cardboard, cm 43,8x54,9.
Sold € 112,500
Lot 40
Joan Mirò, "L'oiseau s'envole vers la zone où pousse le duvet sur les collines encerclées d'or", 1952,
gouache and ink on paper, cm 32,5x24,5. This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity on photography issued by ADOM, Paris, on 5-10-2022.
Sold € 93,750