Art Market Italy Archives - Page 2 of 8

Art Market Italy: Valentine’s Day Auction

Lotto 39, Collana un filo di 35 perle australiane coltivate a digradare (misure da 15.5 a 11.5 mm), cts. 570.77, chiusura a boule in oro bianco 18 kt con brillanti, cts. 1.50 circa. Lunghezza cm 48, Stima €13.000-18.000, Courtesy Minerva Auctions

ROME – For the first time, Rome-based auction house Minerva Auctions will hold a sale on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, but on Feb.13. It is a minor auction of jewels and watches anticipating the more important event of May 21. Alongside the jewelry, the auction offers vintage accessories like handbags and scarves for a total of 359 lots with estimates ranging from €50 to €13,000.

“The idea was born with the goal of attracting an audience that is not necessarily linked to our major auctions that take place twice a year,” said Andrea De Miglio, head of jewelry, watches and silver, “but also in order to give the opportunity to buy a gift for someone else or for ourselves that is out of the ordinary and, at the same time, represents an investment in something that will surely increase its value in time, not only emotionally, but also economically.”

The market for jewelry and watches, in fact, is growing steadily and has changed a lot in recent years. “All over the world new record prices were reached,” De Miglio said. “New audiences have entered these sectors and new marketplaces have opened up, in particular in Asia, where they are growing exponentially. The buyers have realized that in these sectors the values depend not only the material, but much more on exclusivity and rarity.”

The highest prices are reached, in fact, for very selected types of objects. “The market rewards rarity, as in the case of the precious stones in natural colors like the Burmese rubies or the Kashmir sapphires, and the objects of particular importance like the splendid achievements of the early 20th century, not necessarily realized by the famous maison of the time.”

Both in 2014 and in 2013 the sector of jewelry, silver and watches was the one with the highest total at Minerva Auctions: €1,865,050 in 2014 and €1,340,251 in 2013, with an increase of 39.2 percent from 2013 to 2014.

Inside the field of jewelry, a sector that has been rediscovered in the last two years is the artist’s jewelry. “It is a sector that is linked not only to the normal patterns of jewelry, but also to the artistic world of the mid-20th century; a time in which fantastic works were created. Today they are finally finding their right location and evaluation in the market.” A significant example is the brooch “Archaeologists” by Giorgio de Chirico, which was sold at Minerva Auctions in November for €75,000 from an estimate of €15,000.”

Also the sector of vintage bags receives more and more attention from collectors. “The most requested bags are definitely by Hermès,” said De Miglio, “especially those vintage, obviously in good condition, and especially those in crocodile. The Kelly bag, the first one by the fashion house, and the Birkin bag are now real cult objects (the Kelly bag was already in the 1950s); for these bags some customers are willing to pay crazy amounts up to €50,000. But other luxury brands are sought-after, as well, like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Roberta di Camerino. Obviously we always talk of vintage objects.”

But then what are the items not to be missed in this auction? “Among the jewelry, a beautiful brooch from the 1950s full of diamonds with exceptional features (lot 163, estimate €7,000-9,000), and a string of Australian pearls which are practically perfect (lot 39, estimate €13,000-18,000). Among the vintage bags, a beautiful Kelly bag, size 28, in dark brown crocodile from the 1970s in perfect conditions. It even has control certificate of the house and is identical to the one wore on several occasions by the Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, who made the whole world dream (lot 345, estimate €6,000-9,000). Interesting objects more for their rarity and curiosity than for their values can be found among the silver: three trays from Tripoli from the early 20th century (lots 92, 93, 94, estimates €250-350 each) or an ancient anklet from India from the end of the 19th century (lot 91, estimate €250-350).”

Lot 39 – One strand of 35 Australian pearls (from 15.5mm to 11.5mm) necklace, 570.77 carats, 18K white gold clasp with brilliant cut diamonds, 1,50 carats, 48cm. Estimate: €13,000-18,000. Courtesy Minerva Auctions

Lot 163 – white gold brooch, adorned with 163 round brilliant cut diamonds, 8.70 carats, color g/h, clarity if-vs, and 41 diamonds, various cut, 4.00 carats, color g/h, clarity if-vs with gemmological certificate number 19339 (10/14/2014). Estimate: €7,000-9,000. Courtesy Minerva Auctions

Lot 345 – Kelly bag by Hermès, dark brown crocodile, 1970s, September 2014 restoration certificate included. Estimate: €6,000-9,000. Courtesy Minerva Auctions

Lot 91 – Indian silver anklet, 535gr. Estimate €250-350, Courtesy Minerva Auctions

Art Market Italy: Giacomo Balla in Milan

Giacomo Balla, 'Luminosità Spaziale,' tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5 x 34.5cm. Courtesy Farsetti

MILAN, Italy – An exhibition dedicated to Giacomo Balla’s production of the 1920s has opened in the Milan branch of auction house and gallery Farsetti and runs through Feb. 28. The aim is to focus the attention on the second phase of Futurism, covering the two decades between the World Wars. This periord has not yet been adequately studied and appreciated as has the first phase of Futurism. From the foundation of the movement in 1909 to the end of World War I, the first phase of Futurism has been the subject of major exhibitions and monographs both in Italy and abroad.

The exhibition, curated by Elena Gigli, a scholar who has been studying Balla’s work for the last 20 years, includes 20 works distributed over the three floors of the gallery on Via Manzoni. Of these, 10 are sketches made in tempera on paper between 1925 and 1929, which already belonged to the Balla House in Rome and were later purchased by a Lombard private collector. It is from these sketches that the exhibition was conceived. In them, in fact, one can capture the working method and the technical and compositional processes that led to the execution of the works on canvas. Some of these works on canvas are exhibited alongside the sketches for a direct comparison. Prices range from €45,000 to €60,000 ($51,062-$68,082) for the temperas on paper, and from €330,000 to €450,000 ($374,454-$510,620) for the oils on canvas. The exhibition has already awakened many interests, so much so that several works have already been sold.

The works are an excellent example of Balla’s abstract art of the 1920s, which is characterized by dynamic lines, energy and, above all, a bold use of color. The starting point for this type of production is, in fact, the Manifesto del Colore (Color Manifesto), published by Balla in 1918 on the occasion of an exhibition at the Gallery Bragaglia of Rome. In his manifesto, the artist analyzed the role of color in the avant-garde painting, articulating his thought in seven points. Balla assumed that, given the existence of photography and cinematography, the pictorial reproduction of the real does not interest anybody, and that in all avant-garde tendencies color must dominate; color is a “privilege typical of Italian genius,” is dynamism, energy, future, simultaneity of forces.

Futurist painting was, in fact, intended to represent the moving subject, the speed and the universal dynamism. Balla lands, through his study of movement, to the representation of “the speed line,” which he defines as the fundamental basis of his thinking. The speed line is applied to the study of the landscape, to the experiments on frosted glasses, but also to the design for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome (then Teatro Costanzi) on the occasion of the representation of Feu d’artifice in 1917. The paintings Balla produced between 1916 and 1918, titled Force Lines of Landscape, represent an environment in which the feelings of the painter are reflected like the lights on the stage.

Going beyond the representation of the subject, Balla reaches then the “abstract chromatic decorativism.” So the artist explains it: “Overcoming also the cinematic form, I threw myself into abstract and idealistic painting. These were long years of color research. … I do not care that the viewer can find in my picture the subject that inspired it. I only care that his eye is satisfied and recreated through my combinations of colors and abstract forms. The modern man has a genius for color.”

It is the same spirit that one can find in the house of Balla, a place to invent and experiment, with all corridors and rooms entirely painted and invaded by colors and geometric patterns, but also in his clothes and fabrics, which he loved to paint with speed lines and Futurist colors.

Giacomo Balla, 'Balfiori,' tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5x34.5 cm. Courtesy Farsetti — Giacomo Balla, ‘Balfiori,’ tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5×34.5 cm. Courtesy Farsetti

Giacomo Balla, 'Futur Fiori Arancio,' tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5 x 34.5cm. Courtesy Farsetti — Giacomo Balla, ‘Futur Fiori Arancio,’ tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5 x 34.5cm. Courtesy Farsetti

Giacomo Balla, 'Velocità + Forme Rumore,' tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5 x 34.5cm, Courtesy Farsetti — Giacomo Balla, ‘Velocità + Forme Rumore,’ tempera on paper applied on canvas, 24.5 x 34.5cm, Courtesy Farsetti

Art Market Italy: 2 Italian collections

LONDON – Two Italian collections of art and furniture will hit the block at Christie’s South Kensington on Feb. 4. It is a great opportunity for collectors and decorators to buy pieces that reflect Italian glamour and style in the 20th century. The first collection, in fact, comes from the Roman residence of Princess Ismene Chigi Della Rovere, one of the protagonists of the “dolce vita,” while the second one comes from a Genoese noble family and is more inspired by love for antiquities.

On sale will be over 225 lots ranging from Old Master pictures to 18th century Italian and French furniture, to Art Nouveau glass, to Chinese and Japanese works of art. Estimates range from £500 to £25,000.

“Princess Ismene created a remarkable collection in her palazzo apartment in Rome, in which the emphasis was on style and beauty,” said Nathaniel Nicholson, Christie’s junior specialist of private collections and country house sales. “This collection is unusual in its richness and variety. The princess personally selected and ingeniously juxtaposed antiques from around the world with modern art, Art Nouveau glass and Chinese and Japanese works of art.”

Princess Ismene, born in 1927 in Milan to a noble family, developed her passion for art as a university student. After meeting her husband, Prince Mario Chigi Della Rovere, in 1959, in the 1960s she lived the “dolce vita,” visiting the most fashionable destinations in Europe and America and spending time with many high society figures of the time such as Christina Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Roger Vadim and Jane Fonda, and Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. Her passion for art was fostered further by her friendship with the renowned Roman gallery owner Gaspero Del Corso, who introduced her to the highly influential contemporary New York gallerist Leo Castelli. With her sister Anna Maria, then a director of the Marlborough Gallery, she immersed herself in the New York art scene. Her travels and friends provided inspiration for her collection. Her first daughter, Emanuela, married Stuart Gardner, the descendent of Isabella Stewart Gardner, one of the foremost female patrons in the late 19th century, and the princess frequently visited the Gardner family in Massachusetts. After returning from New York, the princess created a stylish collection amassed from the 1970s onwards in her Rome apartment. “This collection is a personal testament to the princess’s own taste and flare,” Nathaniel Nicholson explains, “which can be seen in the clever way in which antiques and Japanese and Chinese works of art are juxtaposed with Art Nouveau glass and modern art.”

Among the highlights of the sale is a pair of Royal Louis-Philippe ormolu four-light candelabra (lot 53, estimate £15,000-£25,000), which display the Egyptian motifs so popular in the Empire period, and were almost certainly part of a large commission ordered by the duc d’Orléans, later King Louis Philippe of France (1773-1850) for the Château de Neuilly. Further highlights include a Louis XV ormolu-mounted black and gilt Vernis Martin commode, circa 1740 (lot 50, estimate £25,000-£40,000), which illustrates the European taste for and imitation of exotic Oriental materials in the mid-18th century; and a glamorous Italian ormolu-mounted red Sicilian Jasper coffee table, 20th century (lot 75, estimate £15,000-£25,000), purchased from Galeria di Castro in Rome, which is veneered on all surfaces with that rich and colorful hardstone and was the centerpiece of Princess Ismene’s living room.

The second Italian collection hitting the block in February in London comes from a Genoese noble family. “This beautifully curated collection, which was amassed by a Noble family in Genoa from the 1950s onwards, features a broad range of works of art including Old Master paintings, silver, carpets and European porcelain, as well as notable pieces of furniture and decorative objects which are typically Genoese in design and which lend the collection an unmistakable distinctive flavor” said Nicholson, who added: “The collection was assembled during the 20th century with the help of one of Italy’s most renowned dealers, Pietro Accorsi. Many of the pieces in this collection bear his trademark label, with the address of his shop: via Po.55, Torino. Accorsi was well respected in the European art world as an adviser and dealer to numerous prestigious collectors and institutions. He sourced predominantly Genoese pieces for this collection and contributed greatly to its overall evolution.” Though the market for antique furniture is experiencing a moment of downturn, Christie’s continues to see a demand for furniture of quality, in good condition and with interesting provenance. “The February sale offers a selection of fascinating pieces of 18th century Italian and French furniture that will appeal to both discerning new buyers and established collectors alike,” said Nicholson.

Among the highlights of the second collection is a North Italian ormolu-mounted tulipwood-banded and kingwood bureau plat (lot 170, estimate £20,000-£30,000). “This desk’s sinuous curved form and pierced angle mounts are characteristic of Genoese furniture produced in the mid-18th century, which was strongly influenced by French designs and was in part due to the proximity of Genoa to France,” said Nicholson.

Further highlights include three pairs of Louis XVI polychrome-painted caned canapés (lots 201-203, estimate £6,000-£10,000 each): highly decorative pieces which are stamped by cabinetmaker Jacques Cheneaux, whose work is rare, and they are considered to be among his finest work.

Art Market Italy: December auctions

Lotto 2232 – Coppia di grandi vasi, Cina sec.XIX, h cm 135, stima €40.000-44.500, Courtesy Boetto

Lot 2232 – Couple of large vessels, China 19th century, 54in., 135cm. Estimate €40,000-44,500. Courtesy Boetto

GENOA, Italy – In the week before Christmas, the Italian auction houses have scheduled some important appointments, in particular with Design, Oriental art and Old Masters.

In Genoa, Boetto holds an auction of antiques and paintings of the 19th century on Dec. 16-17, one of Oriental art on Dec. 18, and another one of jewelry on the same day. Among the Old Masters are included three Venetian views of the mid-19th century: Piazza San Marco, Piazza San Marco seen from the Church of San Giorgio and The Church of Health, all with contemporary frames (lot 858, estimate €15,000-16,000). Also from the Venetian area is another of the highlights of the auction: a drawing by Giuseppe Bison already pictured on the cover of the exhibition “One hundred drawings of the Bison” in Udine in 1962 (Lot 1048, estimate €3,000-3,400). An artist from Trieste from the 19th century, Bison has been reassessed in recent years through some exhibitions and the publication of the catalog of his work. A painter of capricci and vedute, he had great success in his time thanks to his vibrant and lively style.

Among the pieces of Oriental art is a pair of large famille rose vessels, a type of porcelain in which the dominant color is pink, of the 19th century (lot 2232, estimate €40,000-44,500), and a statue of Vajravarahi, a Buddhist deity, in gilt bronze, also of the 19th century (lot 2466, estimate €12,000-13,500, $14,950-$16,818).

Finally, the jewelry auction – a segment that is particularly strong in the current market – offers an elegant ring in “Contrarier” shape in platinum with two diamonds (lot 3102, estimate €18,000-20,000) and a brooch by Van Cleef and Arpels from the 1940s in yellow and white gold in the shape of a ribbon (lot 3241, estimate €10,000-11,500).

At Ars Nova, instead, design is in the spotlight. On 16 Dec. there is an auction that runs throughout the 20th century of Italian design, from Murano glasses up to a series of important furniture with the presence of several icons from the various periods. “Note the change of shapes, colors, materials, lighting, which are used in an increasingly focused way, and the deep study that only the Italian Masters can give to objects,” said department specialist Alessio D’Urso.

The overview starts from the design of the 1920s and arrives to the present day: For example, there are some furniture from a bedroom by Ettore Zaccari that show high-quality carvings in Art Nouveau style (lots 1, 3 and 4). Then, there are some of prestigious manufacturers s of Murano glass, in particular a pot by Vittorio Zecchin for Cappellin (lot 5) and a chandelier of the same production. Another example is a particularly beautiful engraved glass by Paolo Venini with a typical shape from the 1950s (lot 6).

Another icon of the 1950s is the D70 sofa by Borsani (lot 43), which represents the industrial design of the period: it foresees the possibility of changing from sofa into bed and, for the first time, the versatility of the intermediate positions which transform it into a cult object.

An interesting lot is the suspended lamp by Ignazio Gardella for Azucena (lot 28), an emblem of Italian rationalism and of the introduction of printed glass.

Among the lots of the 1960-70s are some objects in which the Italian quality manifests itself through technique. Examples are two lamps by Paolo Tilche and produced by Sirrah. One of them was realized by working on balancing weights (lot 54), while the other one is based on the study of photography and color (lot 92). It is said that Tilche created this lamp putting some glasses in front of the transparent paper of cigarettes, thus creating two screens that constantly turn and change the color as in a kaleidoscope.

From the 1980-90s, there are some examples of post modernism like the Belvedere console by Aldo Cibic (lot 114), some armchairs and sofas by Poltrona Frau (lots 110 and 111), a lamp by Calatrava (lot 115A), and a particular piece of furniture produced by Rivadossi (lot 117), a cabinetmaker from northern Italy who is well known for the accuracy and quality of his workmanship.

The week closes on Dec. 19 with an auction at Little Nemo, an auction house specializing in comics and original drawings, which will put on auction 198 lots dedicated to the “painters of paper” of the 20th century. Among the most significant lots are The Princess Bride by Guido Gozzano, illustrated by Golia (lot 19); The Art of Walt Disney with a rare autograph of Walt Disney (lot 24); a Pinocchio set composed by a picture book by Mussino and 12 characters in wood (lot 33); Valentina flowers and chess by Crepax (lot 155); and, finally, The Celtics by Hugo Pratt (lot 165).

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Lot 24 – The Art of Walt Disney, with a rare autograph of Walt Disney. Start price €900. Courtesy Little Nemo

Lot 92 – Paolo Tilche, floor lamp, chromed metal, 1962, produced by Sirrah. Estimate €6,000-6,500. Courtesy Nova Ars

Lot 3241 – Important Van Cleef & Arpels brooch in the shape of a bow, 1940s, yellow and white gold. Estimate €10,000-11,500. Courtesy Boetto

Art Market Italy: Dadamaino in London

LONDON – In the year that marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Dadamaino, Sotheby’s dedicates to the Italian artist a selling exhibition in its London gallery S|2 from Nov. 20 to Jan. 16. The exhibition allows art lovers to retrace the career of this important pioneer of female art and buy 19 fresh-to-the-market works of art. Five other works come from the Dadamaino Archive in Milan and are on loan.

“It is a privilege to stage a show dedicated to one of the female pioneers of contemporary art,” said Fru Tholstrup, director of S|2 London. “In a male dominated world, Dadamaino broke the mold, and is now rightly being recognized as one of the most influential Italian artists of her generation.”

Dadamaino belongs to the generation of Italian artists from the 1960s, who now are particularly in demand on the international art market. Until a few years ago, the international collectors knew only the big players such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni and Enrico Castellani. Now they have also discovered their contemporaries such as Paolo Scheggi, Agostino Bonalumi and Dadamaino. To get an idea of the market’s growth of the latter, just think that within a year, from October 2013 to now, her record has been exceeded three times: At Sotheby’s in London on Oct. 17, 2013, a work with an estimate of €25,000-35,000 sold for €123,500; a month later, on Nov. 27 at the Dorotheum in Vienna, a work with an estimate of €30,000-40,000 sold for €134,500; and finally at Sotheby’s in London on Oct. 17 one of her works sold for €154,500. Furthermore, her works have entered the collections of museums such as the Tate in London and the Guggenheim in New York, where Dadamaino is currently on display in the important exhibition “Zero: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s-60s.”

Born in Milan in 1930 as Eduarda Emilia Maino, Dadamaino began her artistic career as an autodidact. At the end of the 1950s, she attended the famous local artists group Bar Jamaica, where she met Piero Manzoni. Dadamaino so became part of Milan’s avant-garde artistic scene, where he is known by the nickname of Dada. She was deeply influenced by Lucio Fontana. An anecdote recounts her first meeting with one of his “Concetti spaziali,” which Dadamaino saw from the tramway in a shop’s window at the corner between piazza Cordusio and via Broletto in Milan. Like Fontana, Dadamaino in 1959 arrived to overcome the two-dimensionality of the canvas and to open the possibilities of the painting to the third dimension, and realized her Volumes: monochrome canvases in black or white or natural color, from which she removed large parts of the surface, creating ovoid, empty forms. These works, which in the early 1960s were displayed in Manzoni’s and Castellani’s Azimut gallery in Milan, are now the most requested on the market. In regard to them the artist said: “I have always abhorred the matter and sought the immateriality. Naturally Fontana has had a decisive role in the history of my painting. (….) If it was not Fontana to pierce the canvas, probably I would not have dared to do it myself. We used to entirely remove the matter so that also parts of the canvas were visible in order to eliminate any material element and to deprive it of rhetoric and return to the tabula rasa, to purity.”

After this liberating act, Dadamaino sought a way to continue and found her inspiration in the teachings of Futurism. Looking beyond the holes of her works she saw the wall made of lights and shadows that vibrate and started looking for more movement: “The art was static so far, except for a few pioneers, it must again become dynamic using the means resulting from the most recent technical and scientific experiences, as we have determined that you can do art with any means.”

Thus in the early 1960s, Dadamaino moves away from the black and white of her early works and conceives the Out of Sync Modules Volumes – paintings in which she overlapped several layers of perforated semi-transparent material. “I wanted to create holes that were disposed in prospective and translated the volume in three or four layers of plastic,” the artist said. “I found a semi-transparent material that is normally used for shower curtains and that at time came closest to the idea of transparency. I perforated the sheets by hand and then placed them on the frame. The warmth of my hand moved the holes, and this shift was the result of chance.” A work of this kind from 1960 is at the Tate Gallery in London.

In the following years the artist collaborated with international movements like the Zero Group in Germany and Nul in the Netherlands and participated in exhibitions in museums and galleries in Italy and Europe. On the occasion of an exhibition in 1961, her paintings were erroneously attributed to Dadamaino, a name that the artist assumed for the rest of her career.

Dadamaino’s radical instinct brought her to create new groups of works and to continually evolve her style. Her interests increasingly turned to kinetic and optical art. In the early 1970s she developed the “Chromoreliefs,” three-dimensional structures that transform mathematical principles in aesthetic experience, while in the mid-1970s she introduced the graphic sign and realized the “Alphabet of the Mind,” a series of fictional characters that Dadamaino used to write a series of “letters” in which she repeated a single sign. In the 1980s her works were exhibited twice at the Venice Biennale, the first time in 1980 with the series The Facts of Life and the second time in 1990 with the solo show “Future Dimension. The Artist and The Space.” Dadamaino died in Milan in 2004.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Art Market Italy: Gabriella Crespi at Piasa in Paris

Gabriella Crespi, 'Fungo' dalla serie 'Rising Sun', lampada, 1974, bambu e ottone, 84 × 61 cm, stima €5.000-7.000, Courtesy Piasa, Paris

Gabriella Crespi, 'Mushroom' from the series 'Rising Sun,' lamp, 1974, bamboo and brass, 84 × 61 cm, estimate €5,000-7,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris — Gabriella Crespi, ‘Mushroom’ from the series ‘Rising Sun,’ lamp, 1974, bamboo and brass, 84 × 61 cm, estimate €5,000-7,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris

PARIS – French auction house Piasa celebrates Italian designer Gabriella Crespi with an auction that will take place here Nov. 26. Auction Central News interviewed Piasa’s Vice Chairman Chief Executive Frédéric Chambre.

Who is Gabriella Crespi?

Gabriella Crespi is an Italian designer, artist, socialite and fashion muse. Born in 1922, she grew up in Tuscany, near Florence, before studying architecture at the Politecnico in Milan, where she discovered Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright. She married into one of Italy’s wealthiest families, who owned the Corriere della Sera and a textiles empire. From Rome and Milan she hired the finest craftsmen to produce her designs.

Why is she important in design history? What does her work represent?

Gabriella Crespi has always conveyed an art de vivre in tune with her times, full of freedom and pioneering bohemian chic: a mix of 1970s aspiration and Italian tradition. Although her style goes perfectly with materials like wood, bamboo, mirror and Plexiglas, Gabriella Crespi’s most characteristic designs are in metal – notably brass. All of Crespi’s designs place as much importance on aesthetics as on functionality, or even multifunctionality. Coffee tables are raised in height, bookcases are transformed into partitions, chairs turn into beds … .

What inspires her? Who are her mentors?

She finds her inspiration in the forces of nature in which she senses a symbolic value. On these solid grounds she established her life plan. When asked about her masters, she mentions a number of great figures in the world of architecture such as Frank Lloyd Wright in whom she sees the proximity with the vernacular spirit in Taliesin West, where he grounded his teaching on the observation of the truth of large open spaces and devised his Prairie houses to serve man and his family. Le Corbusier is also among her models. She likes his habit of collecting objects, whether seashells or driftwood. With simple gestures he composed his art as a painter and architect. In him she appreciates the way he took nature as a model, the way he captured light, his bold lines and minimalist approach.

How many objects do you offer and what are the price ranges?

The auction offers 75 objects from €600 to €40,000 ($750 to $50,000) .

Where do the objects on sale come from?

The objects on sale come from different private collections and all the lots have been certified by the Gabriella Crespi’s archives.

What are the most important objects on sale and why are they significant in her production?

The convertible, three-part dining table, from her celebrated Yang Yin series designed in 1979, is a perfect blend of brass and lacquered wood (est. €20,000-30,000). A fine example is provided by her ingenious, twin-opening Mr-Mme commode (est. €20,000-30,000), as the iron and brass bed Sheherazade (est. €30,000-40,000) Other sale highlights include a bamboo and brass Fungo lamp from her Rising Sun series (est. €5,000-7,000), and her 1976 Tavolo Scultura coffee table (est. €20,000-30,000). For the collection of sculptures, the sale offers the elegant, hand-chased silver-plated Ostrich, with a veritable ostrich egg (est. €2,500-3,000).

Are Gabriella Crespi’s objects frequently on the market?

The market does not offer much of Crespi’s works. Most of her works were produced in limited editions and have been rare and highly sought-after since the 1970s – and are all the more so today. Her designs are rare and were mostly the result of special commissions.

Do you know any museums or private collections that include her work?

Unfortunately, Gabriella Crespi’s work is still under-represented in the major international museum collections, even though she was exhibited in institutions such as Palazzo Reale in Milan. Her work is, however, part of many important private collections everywhere in the world, especially in the U.S.

Why did you choose “Timeless” as the title of the sale?

Even though Gabriella Crespi mainly produced pieces in the ’60s and ’70s, her work has managed to cross the decades in a very impressive way, with the same strength and spirit of innovation. Forty years later, her creations remain timeless, as well as her great beauty. Gabriella has become a timeless icon.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Gabriella Crespi, 'Mr / Mme,' chest of drawers, 1972, brass and chrome, 79 × 120 × 55 cm, estimate €15,000-20,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris — Gabriella Crespi, ‘Mr / Mme,’ chest of drawers, 1972, brass and chrome, 79 × 120 × 55 cm, estimate €15,000-20,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris

Gabriella Crespi, 'Yin Yang' from the series 'Plurimi,' modular table, 1979, brass and lacquered wood 76.5 × 225 × 122 cm, estimate €20,000-30,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris — Gabriella Crespi, ‘Yin Yang’ from the series ‘Plurimi,’ modular table, 1979, brass and lacquered wood 76.5 × 225 × 122 cm, estimate €20,000-30,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris

Gabriella Crespi, 'Bureau Z,' brushed steel, wood, glass, 1974, 78.5 × 149.4 × 75.3 cm, estimate €40,000-60,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris — Gabriella Crespi, ‘Bureau Z,’ brushed steel, wood, glass, 1974, 78.5 × 149.4 × 75.3 cm, estimate €40,000-60,000. Courtesy Piasa, Paris

Art Market Italy: Cambi opens a department for vintage cars, cycles

Tuta di Michael Schumacher. Courtesy Cambi, Genova

Michael Schumacher's driving suit. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa — Michael Schumacher’s driving suit. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa

GENOA, Italy – One of Italy’s most prestigious auction houses, Cambi Casa d’Aste, has launched a new department specializing in vintage cars and motorcycles. In this interview, Auction Central News’ Italy-based columnist Silvia Anna Barrila interviews auction house founder Matteo Cambi about Cambi’s plans for the future.

Q: Where did the idea to open a department dedicated to vintage cars and motorcycles come from?

A: From a careful analysis of the market and also from the consideration that many of our customers, both Italian and foreign, are fans and / or collectors of the motor world.

Q: When and where will you hold the first auction? How many auctions will you hold per year?

A: We will hold the inaugural auction of the department exclusively online in the first week of December. Then, we will make our debut auction during the traditional auction week in late February-early March in our Milan headquarters. We intend to make two auctions a year, and evaluate the implementation of specific auctions for any major collections.

Q: It is the first department of this kind in Italy? Where does this lack come from?

A: It is an exciting field that has significant results in countries such as Britain and the United States, where there is a tradition in this area. At the same time we realize that it certainly has a complex management in terms of space, and this can be a deterrent. It is also a market that requires a deep knowledge of the industry, of the collectors and of the many models of vehicles and automobilia. Finally, you must have a clientele of foreign buyers, especially in recent years, as cars and motorcycles buyers are foreigners.

Q: What will Cambi offer in this new department? On what are you going to focus?

A: Given that we are an Italian auction house, and that our country has a history of motoring which is among the richest in the world, we want to focus mainly on Italian brands and products. In addition to cars and motorcycles, we will offer supercars and prestigious modern bikes and automobilia, such as pilots suits and helmets, trophies, memorabilia, documents, etc.

Q: Could you anticipate some highlights that Cambi will offer at its first auction?

A: At our first auction we will offer items related to the world of Ferrari, some of which are exclusive and rare because inherent to Formula 1, as well as modern collectible cars such as two exemplars of Alfa Romeo Roadster Zagato from the early 1990s which was produced in less than 300 exemplars. We will also have Moto Guzzi motorcycles from the prewar period and Vespas from the late 1940s-early 1950s which, besides being important and famous brands in the world, have Genoese origins just like our auction house.

Q: Which are the most popular cars and motorcycles? What are their prices?

A: The most popular cars worldwide are linked to famous brands such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Bugatti, Mercedes, Zagato, Carrozzeria Touring. Their values range from several hundred thousand Euros to several million Euros for a vehicle. It must be said that buying a vintage vehicle, whether it costs millions of Euros or tens of thousands of euro, it is an interesting investment, if it is well done, so that vintage cars are considered a great store of value.

Q: For a collector who is entering this market, what are the things to know and watch out for? What kind of investment is required?

A: For a collector who enters this market, there are many things to know. First, we need to distinguish whether you are buying for the pleasure of owning the car, or for investment, because the choices will have a different nature. Having said this, the main observations are to be inherent to the conditions of the car, because the values are very different if the purchase is fully restored or needs restoration. To own a vintage vehicle and enjoy the passion, even €10,000-15,000 for a car €5,000-10,000 for a motorcycle may be enough.

Q: What are the outstanding historical sales in the field of vintage cars and motorcycles?

A: In recent years there was a succession of outstanding sales. Many cars reach prices higher than 1 million Euros, and in the last few years the values have been growing so much that some historic cars produced in very few copies (Ferrari in particular) have reached record prices between 10 and 25 million euros.

Visit Cambi Casa d’Aste online at www.cambiaste.com.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Zippo lighter produced for the brand 1000Miglia, 2009. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa

JR, Airbrush painting of Alfa Romeo Tipo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring 1938, 100x70 cm. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa — JR, Airbrush painting of Alfa Romeo Tipo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring 1938, 100×70 cm. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa

Vespa TAP - Troupes Aéro Portées, 1956-59. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa — Vespa TAP – Troupes Aéro Portées, 1956-59. Courtesy Cambi, Genoa

Art Market Italy: Pandolfini marks 90 years of auctions

Alberto Burri, Bianco Nero, 1952, olio, stoffa e corda su tela, cm 50x80, stima €1.000.000-1.500.000. Courtesy Pandolfini

Alberto Burri, ‘White Black,’ 1952, oil, cloth and rope on canvas, 50x80 cm, estimate €1-1.5 million. Courtesy Pandolfini — Alberto Burri, ‘White Black,’ 1952, oil, cloth and rope on canvas, 50×80 cm, estimate €1-1.5 million. Courtesy Pandolfini

FLORENCE, Italy – Florence auction house Pandolfini celebrates 90 years of activity with three exceptional auctions to be held on Oct. 28. The first sale will be devoted to a series of important Renaissance majolica at 5 p.m. local time. It will be followed by an auction prepared in the course of a whole year, consisting of 34 lots selected by each department of the auction house (at 7 p.m). At the end a masterpiece by James Tissot will be put on sale.

Pandolfini’s story begins in 1924 when Luigi Pandolfini, who owned a furniture store in Florence, began to organize occasional auctions. This activity, carried out by Luigi Pandolfini together with his son Cirano and his nephew Sergio, was developed through the years so that by the end of the 1930s the first auction with relevant objects of great artistic value was held: the auction of the collection of Villa Marten in Settignano. After World War II auctions represented the fastest way for the exhausted population to raise money from the sale of family objects that had survived. In 1954 the auction house moved into what is still his home, Palazzo Ramirez Montalvo in Borgo degli Albizzi. Its aim was to offer more selected objects to ensure prestige and artistic value. Each auction catalog was printed with extensive descriptions about the quality and provenance of the work.

Pandolfini grew and won the opportunity to hold sales of important heritages and private collections. For example, among the historical auctions was the sale of furnishings from Villa Papinian in San Domenico di Fiesole and from “Tasso” on the Elba island in 1972. Both were part of the legacy of Hugh Whitaker Sartorius, a foreigner who had settled in Tuscany in the 1950s and had collected valuable works of art and furnishings. Another historic milestone was the dispersal of the legacy of Countess Margit Berchtold. In this case, in addition to the traditional areas covered by Pandolfini, namely antique furniture and paintings, were also modern artworks and Chinese, Indian and Nepalese objects in coral and semiprecious stones. In the 1970s, Pandolfini expanded its field of activity devoting itself to ceramics, pottery and porcelain.

In the 1980s – which were feverish years for the art market – Pandolfini further expanded its areas of activity. Among the outstanding sales of these years we remember the dispersion of the furnishings from Villa Querceto in Florence and from the estate of Vigarano Mainarda from Ferrara, both belonging to the legacy of Marquis Uberto Strozzi Sacrati in 1983-84, and that of the property belonging to the Countess Tamara De Larderei, born Rucellai, in 1984-85.

Also in the 1990s the market stayed competitive, but Pandolfini managed to win the sales of collections such as those of the Antinori Buturlin family, of Dino Gavina, the Liverani Collection, of the furnishings from Villa Medici Lappeggi and from Palazzo della Gherardesca in Florence. We also remember the “Antonio, Fosco and Grato Maraini” auction and the sale of paintings, furniture and objects from the Turin house of Carlo Fruttero.

Today Pandolfini has offices in Florence, Rome and Milan. It holds about 20 auctions a year in all sectors of the market, from old masters to collectible wines. The auction on Oct. 28 will include exceptional pieces among which there is a high relief by Lorenzo Ghiberti and his workshop depicting the Madonna and Child Protected by the Mantle from about 1420, which is estimated €60,000-80,000, and a painting by Giovan Battista Spinelli, David with the Head of Goliath, estimated at €120,000-150,000. Among the works from the 19th century, there will be a bronze by Medardo Rosso, Aetas Aurea, estimated at €50,000-80,000; among the contemporary artworks will be an important work by Alberto Burri, Bianco Nero from 1952, estimated at €1-1.5 million. Among the jewels there will be an exceptional Cartier necklace in platinum, white gold and diamonds estimated at €250,000-300,000.

A separate catalog, as we mentioned already, is dedicated to the painting The Rivals by French-anglophile painter James Tissot. It carries an estimate of €600,000-1 million. In the work, which was owned by Paolo Ingegnoli, an important Italian collector of the 19th century, Tissot represented his beloved, Kathleen Newton, surrounded by admirers within the impressive winter garden full of exotic plants that he had built next to the his London studio. Tissot was a successful portraitist among the wealthy English collectors thanks to its ability to faithfully portray his models and choose poses and settings. Furthermore, he was also able to understand the market and the types of pictures that could attract different customers. Only three years after the completion of this work, Kathleen Newton died of tuberculosis; the artist sold the house, left London and returned to Paris for good.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Alberto Burri, ‘White Black,’ 1952, oil, cloth and rope on canvas, 50×80 cm, estimate €1-1.5 million. Courtesy Pandolfini

Cartier necklace in platinum, white gold and diamonds, estimate €250,000-300,000. Courtesy Pandolfini

Lorenzo Ghiberti and his workshop, ‘Madonna and Child Protected by the Mantle,’ about 1420, high relief, 71 x 56 x 20 cm, estimate €60,000-80,000. Courtesy Pandolfini

Medardo Rosso, Aetas Aurea, 1886-1889, patinated bronze, height 40.2 cm, estimate €50,000-80,000. Courtesy Pandolfini

James (Jacques Joseph) Tissot, Rivals, 1878-79, oil on canvas, 92x68 cm, estimate €600,000-1 million. Courtesy Pandolfini — James (Jacques Joseph) Tissot, Rivals, 1878-79, oil on canvas, 92×68 cm, estimate €600,000-1 million. Courtesy Pandolfini

Art Market Italy: The Italian Sales

LONDON – Christie’s and Sotheby’s will celebrate Italian art with Italian sales on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 as the attention paid to Italian postwar artists continues to grow. Numerous exhibitions dedicated to Italian artists opened in the British capital in recent days: Pace Gallery has dedicated a show to Mario Merz (until Nov. 8), Dominique Lévy opens her new London space with Enrico Castellani along Donald Judd and Frank Stella (on Oct. 13), Luxembourg & Dayan shows Alighiero Boetti’s monochromes (from Oct. 13) and plans other exhibitions of Italian artists such as Mario Schifano, Enrico Baj and Alberto Burri. Other galleries exhibits Italian postwar art in their booths at Frieze Masters: Marian Goodman will bring Giovanni Anselmo, Giulio Paolini and Giuseppe Penone; and Luxembourg & Dayan will present Manzoni, Fontana and Burri.

The same artists are the protagonists of the Italian Sales, annual events that have grown tremendously in recent years. It is enough to say that when Christie’s started the Italian sales, in 2001, the total result was £4 million pounds, while at the last sale, in 2013, the total result reached £27 million. Last February the sale of the Italian collection “Eyes Wide Open, An Italian Vision” achieved £38 million.

So, what shall we expect this year?

Christie’s auction will offer a half-century Italian art from modern artists like Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio De Chirico and Marino Marini. By the latter there will be a sculpture of Cavaliere strongly reminiscent of The Angel of the City, the famous work of art at the entrance of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice (estimate: £800,000-£1.2 million). There will be, of course, the masters of postwar art Alberto Burri with Red Black (estimate: £1 million-£1.5 million) who will be celebrated next year in October with a major retrospective at the Guggenheim in New York on the occasion of the centenary of his birth; Lucio Fontana with Concetto Spaziale, a work realized at the dawn of the space age, the year after Yuri Gagarin’s first trip in space (estimate: £1 million-£1.5 million); Piero Manzoni and Enrico Castellani, the two founders of Azimut / H, a gallery and magazine to which the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice devotes an exhibition these days (until Jan. 19).

And Arte Povera will not miss: Christie’s will offer a masterpiece by Alighiero Boetti, the Column from 1968, which marks the culmination of the artist’s earliest experiments on Arte Povera and the beginning of the more conceptual direction of his production (estimate: £1.5 million-£2 million). It is a column of classic appearance made by assembling an ordinary and modest material such as the paper doilies for cakes, stacked one above the other on a central rod of iron. It is a unique piece made for one of the first exhibitions dedicated to Arte Povera in Rome and the first of a group of nine columns that Boetti realized during 1968.

Sotheby’s selection goes back to the early 20th century with a major work on paper from 1913 by Giacomo Balla. The work, titled Flight of Swallows, comes from the collection of Alfred Barr, the legendary founder and director of the MoMA in New York, who had purchased it during a trip to Rome in 1948 as a gift to his wife, Margaret Scolari Barr (estimate: £180,000-£250,000). Then, there are works from the 1930s by De Chirico and Morandi, and also here there is a sculpture of Cavaliere by Marino Marini (estimate: £750,000-£1 million). Among the most important works on sale there is also a horizontal painting by Domenico Gnoli titled Waist Line (estimate: £2 million-£3 million). It was made at the height of his career, shortly before his death in 1969, and belongs to a series of 43 works that represent fragments of everyday life with aesthetic and nostalgic tones that were revolutionary in the tradition of figurative painting.

From the 1960s there will be also four important works from the collection of the engineer Giobatta Meneguzzo: Teatrino Bianco by Lucio Fontana (estimate: £400,000-£600,000), Bianco by Agostino Bonalumi (estimate £300,000-£400,000), Bianco by Turi Simeti (estimate: £80,000-$120,000) and Superficie Bianca by Enrico Castellani (estimate: £1 million-$1.5). The four works form a sort of manifesto of the Zero Group titled “The beetle under the leaf,” from the name of Meneguzzo’s house, built in 1965 by Giò Ponti and Nanda Vigo. Zero Group, is currently object of much attention due the exhibition “ZERO Countdown To Tomorrow,” which opens Oct. 10 at the Guggenheim in New York. Already in 2010, Sotheby’s offered a private collection of works by the Zero Group, that of Austrians Anna and Gerhard Lenz, which doubled the preauction estimate making £23 million.

Finally, Sotheby’s will auction a masterpiece by Piero Manzoni, exhibited at the Tate in London in 2005 and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome in 1971: a monumental “Achrome” painting from 1958-59. There are only nine works of this size, one of which is at the Pompidou, one of the GAM in Turin, one at Mumok in Vienna and one in the Rachowsky Collection in Dallas. The work is estimated to realize £5 million-£7 million.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Art Market Italy: Mario Merz in London

Mario Merz, ‘Igloo con vortice,’ 1981 tecnica mista su tela, bastoni, bottiglie e tubi al neon, 280 x 270 x 50 cm. Courtesy Pace London.

Mario Merz, 'Igloo con vortice,' 1981, mixed media on canvas, sticks, bottles and neon tube, 280 x 270 x 50 cm. Courtesy Pace London. — Mario Merz, ‘Igloo con vortice,’ 1981, mixed media on canvas, sticks, bottles and neon tube, 280 x 270 x 50 cm. Courtesy Pace London.

LONDON – From Sept. 26 to Nov. 8, Pace Gallery in London dedicates an exhibition to Italian artist Mario Merz. The show, staged in collaboration with the Fondazione Merz in Turin, includes works from the 1960s to 2003, when the Arte Povera artist died. It is the first Merz exhibition in London for more than 20 years. For the occasion, Pace also publishes a catalog of the works on display and archival materials. Auction Central News spoke about it with Tamara Corm, director at Pace London.

How did it come that you decided to dedicate an exhibition to Mario Merz?

Mario Merz hasn’t had a UK private gallery exhibition in over 20 years. It was time to bring him back to London. We’re working closely with the Merz Foundation to stage this exhibition and it’s an honor to work with the foundation. We met Beatrice Merz and there was an opportunity and a need for a Mario Merz show in London, historically, aesthetically and commercially.

How did it come that Merz has not had an exhibition in London for so many years?

It’s hard to say but there’s definitely a resurgence of Arte Povera right now with the recent dOCUMENTA (13) curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, one of the experts on Arte Povera, Giuseppe Penone’s exhibition at Versailles etc. We’re staging a small retrospective at our gallery at 6 Burlington Gardens, in the heart of Mayfair where most of the collectors come.

Can you tell us more about his last exhibition in London in 1993?

It was Anthony d’Offay’s exhibition, presented in 1993, and Merz was still alive. Like our exhibition, his featured one igloo. Our exhibition features a triple igloo, which is the last ever made, and it combines all the elements from Merz’s artistic language. Merz began constructing igloos in 1968 using a variety of materials, and this particular one combines many of these earthen and industrial objects—metal rods, neon, clamps, clay, glass and stone—in its tripartite structure.

How was the collaboration with the Merz Foundation born?

We announced the collaboration with the Merz Foundation at Frieze last year and we’re now staging this small retrospective. Beatrice Merz is supervising this exhibition with us and we’re delighted it’s happening. Right now, we’re focusing on this show, which will coincide with Frieze Art Fair and Frieze Masters – we’ll be at both fairs this year.

Are the works on show for sale? What is the price range of the works?

Yes, it’s a selling exhibition for sure. Any interested clients should get in touch with us regarding prices.

What is the provenance of the works?

Mainly European and American private collections as well as the from the Merz Collection.

How has Merz’s market developed in the last years?

It’s a good moment for Arte Povera. Mario Merz is the founding father, the reference so it makes sense for us to show his works. We’re known for museum-quality exhibition and this is one of them. He had an impact on so many other artists today, on those who continued the Arte Povera movement, and on many others.

And in comparison to the other representatives of Arte Povera?

Mario Merz is still undervalued. As far as other Arte Povera artists, it’s hard to say.

Which are the most requested works and why?

The igloos and the Fibonacci are highlights of this exhibition because they strike something in everyone’s mind. People ask a lot about them. It’s interesting to note in this exhibition that sculptures and works on paper that express some of his most enduring motifs are also included. The show is on both floors of the gallery so plenty to discover or rediscover.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

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