On 27, 28 and 29 May, the eagerly awaited event dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art returns. A catalogue born from passionate research, which rediscovers previously unseen masterpieces and presents works of extraordinary provenance and quality.
An exclusive journey through the leading figures and movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, designed for discerning collectors and art lovers in search of unrepeatable opportunities.
The journey begins in the heart of early 20th-century Italian art, with a selection of works among which stands out Cagnaccio di San Pietro, presented with a valuable group of works on paper—including the 1928 nude sketch “Studio per nudo (Dopo l’orgia)”—from an important private collection; unique examples of a bold and refined pictorial language.
Lots 1 - 7
Cagnaccio di San Pietro, from a major Italian private collection.
The auction continues with an extraordinary group of works by Giacomo Balla from the Molino Collection: a rare corpus in which the artist translates his vision of Futurism and industrialisation into everyday objects. Among the pieces are “Segnaposto”, “Vaso - porta candela”, “Scatola rettangolare futurista”, “Due piani di tavolino”, and other unique examples of an artistic journey in constant evolution.
Also featured is a museum-quality work: “4 H.P. X 1931 (Quadriga)” (lot 32, € 50,000 - 70,000) by RAM (Ruggero Alfredo Michahelles), an aluminium casting from 1931 and a masterpiece of Second Futurism with an outstanding exhibition and bibliographic history.
Lots 15 - 22
Giacomo Balla, works from the Giancarlo Molino Collection.
Lot 32
RAM "4 H.P. X 1931 (Quadriga)" 1931, aluminum casting, 70x130x41 cm.
Estimate € 50,000 - 70,000
The catalogue narrative continues with key names essential to understanding the soul of Italian art in the first half of the last century: Carlo Carrà with the 1955 oil on canvas “Capanni e vela sulla riva” (lot 36, € 20,000 - 30,000); Massimo Campigli with three oils on canvas; Achille Funi with the preparatory cartoon “Gerusalemme” (lot 33, € 8,000 - 12,000), created between 1934 and 1937 for the frescoes of the Myth of Ferrara in the Sala della Consulta of the Palazzo Comunale; Giorgio Morandi with the delicate watercolour “Natura morta” (lot 40, € 15,000 - 25,000); Felice Casorati with the 1962 oil on canvas “Le mele verdi (nella fruttiera)” (lot 39, € 20,000 - 30,000); and finally Giorgio de Chirico with the iconic “Piazza d’Italia” from 1953 (lot 41, € 150,000 - 250,000).
Lot 36
Carlo Carrà "Capanni e vela sulla riva" 1955, oil on canvas, cm 50x60. Signed and dated 955 lower left.
Estimate € 20,000 - 30,000
Lot 39
Felice Casorati "Le mele verdi (nella fruttiera)" 1962, oil on canvas, cm 50x40. Signed lower left.
Estimate € 20,000 - 30,000
Lot 41
Giorgio de Chirico "Piazza d'Italia" 1953, oil on canvas, cm 40.3x50.2. Signed lower left.
Estimate € 150,000 - 250,000
Among the most significant works in the auction is an exceptional tribute to Alberto Martini, a homage to the brilliant forerunner of Symbolism and Surrealism, a pivotal figure in the transition between these two artistic movements in Italy. The carefully curated selection includes a group of outstanding works - drawings, ink pieces, and oils - each reflecting the depth and innovation of the artist, reaffirming his crucial role in the history of art.
Lot 8
Alberto Martini "La divina illusione" 1930, oil on pressed cardboard, cm 60x73 Signed, titled and dated 1930 on the reverse.
Estimate € 10,000 - 15,000
Notable works on paper include the delicate watercolour “Blühende Kakteen” (1950 - 1952) by Emil Nolde (lot 44, € 30,000 - 50,000), “Ritratto del pittore Donato Frisia” by Amedeo Modigliani (lot 47, € 15,000 - 20,000), exhibited at the 17th Venice Biennale in 1930, and the evocative ink on paper “La Tahitienne” (1938) by Man Ray (lot 48, € 6,000 - 8,000). This section also features “Aegean Still Life” (1965 - 88) by Ben Nicholson—oil wash and pencil on paper mounted on board (lot 75, € 5,000 - 7,000)—and “Deux personnages” (1942) by Wilfredo Lam, in charcoal and tempera on paper (lot 53, € 80,000 - 120,000).
Lot 44
Emil Nolde "Blühende Kakteen" 1950-52, watercolor on paper, cm 35.4x46.7. Signed at lower left.
Estimate € 30,000 - 50,000
Lot 47
Amedeo Modigliani "Ritratto del pittore Donato Frisia" 1919, pencil on paper, 43.4x26.4 cm.
Estimate € 15,000 - 20,000
Lot 53
Wifredo Lam "Deux personnages" 1942, charcoal and tempera on paper, cm 101.5x76. Signed and titled 1-8-42 lower right.
Estimate € 80,000 - 120,000
The section devoted to Informal Art showcases works of great visual intensity: the 1958 oil on canvas from the “Presenze” cycle by Emilio Vedova (lot 55, € 80,000 - 120,000); the large-scale canvas “X-L-1-80” (1980) by Conrad Marca-Relli (lot 57, € 40,000 - 60,000); and an acrylic on paper by Sam Francis (1973). These are joined by a tempera on canvas-mounted paper by Tancredi (1959) and two important works on paper by Hans Hartung.
Lot 55
Emilio Vedova "Presenza" 1958, oil on canvas, cm 129.7x57.5. Signed, titled and dated 1958. Venice on the reverse.
Estimate € 80,000 - 120,000
Lot 57
Conrad Marca-Relli "X-L-1-80" 1980, collage and mixed media on canvas, cm 157.5x191. Signed at lower left. Signed and titled on the reverse.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
In the field of abstraction and kinetic art, standout works include the technically virtuosic “Acrylic, painted wood, metal and nylon threads” by Jesus Rafael Soto (1972) (lot 72, € 30,000 - 50,000), and the installation “Mercuriale” by Grazia Varisco (lot 83, € 7,000 - 9,000), composed of a wooden box, industrial glass, steel, and electric motor. Also featured are Victor Vasarely’s acrylic on canvas (lot 76, € 20,000 - 30,000); Jean Albert Gorin’s oil on masonite “Composition n.14 Le Perreux” from 1958 (lot 79, € 10,000 - 15,000); and Günter Fruhtrunk’s “Steigende Ebenen” from 1968 (lot 80, € 10,000 - 15,000).
Lot 72
Jesus Rafael Soto "Untitled" 1972, acrylic, wood, painted metal and nylon threads, cm 47x66x12. Signed and dated 1972 upper left.
Estimate € 30,000 - 50,000
Lot 76
Victor Vasarely "Untitled" 1979-1990, acrylic on canvas, cm 65x65. Signed and dated 1979 on the reverse side.
Estimate € 20,000 - 30,000
Lot 80
Günter Fruhtrunk "Steigende Ebenen" 1968, acrylic on canvas, 75.5x70 cm. Signed with the artist’s monogram, titled and dated 1968 on the reverse.
Estimate € 10,000 - 15,000
Among the top lots in the sale are monumental works such as “Azzuroverde” by Carla Accardi from 1987 (lot 86, € 80,000 - 120,000) and “Schriftzug=Atemzug, 29.5.1988” by Irma Blank from 1988 (lot 84, € 30,000 - 50,000). Other impactful works include “The Re-evolvers” (1951) by Roberto Matta (lot 51, € 140,000 - 180,000); “Folla allo stadio” (1965) by Renato Guttuso (lot 93, € 30,000 - 40,000); “Marat assassiné” (1982) by Valerio Adami (lot 95, € 40,000 - 60,000), exhibited at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; and a magnificent glazed and painted terracotta by Lucio Fontana titled “Crocifisso” (1952), in white, grey and gold (lot 56, € 130,000 - 160,000).
Lot 86
Carla Accardi "Azzurroverde" 1987, vinyl on canvas, 200x110 cm. Signed and dated 87 bottom left. Signed and dated 1987 on the reverse.
Estimate € 80,000 - 120,000
Lot 51
Roberto Matta "The Re-evolvers" 1951, oil on canvas, cm 145.5x198.
Estimate € 140,000 - 180,000
Lot 95
Valerio Adami, "Marat assassiné" 1982, acrylic on canvas, 198x147 cm. Signed, titled and dated 27.4.82 /27.8.82 on the reverse.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
Lot 56
Glazed and hand-painted terracotta with third-firing decoration in white, grey, and gold, cm 58x41.5x12.5. Signed and dated 52 on the reverse.
Estimate € 130,000 - 160,000
A large section is devoted to leading contemporary artists including Luigi Ontani, Anselm Kiefer—with two museum-calibre works—Damien Hirst, Matthew Barney, Thomas Ruff—with the 2003 masterpiece “Substrat 10 III” (lot 147, € 20,000 - 30,000)—as well as Francesco Vezzoli and Peter Dreher.
Lot 122
Anselm Kiefer "Johannis-Nacht" 2007, gouache, acrylic, ink on photo collage, glass and cardboard, 179.7x99.1 cm (framed 195.5x115).
Estimate € 70,000 - 90,000
Lotto 147
Thomas Ruff "Substrat 10 III" 2003, inkjet print face mounted on Diasec in artist's wooden frame, 184.5x325 cm. Signed, titled, dated 2003 and numbered 3/3 on the reverse.
Estimate € 20,000 - 30,000
Particular mention goes to the group of works representing Arte Povera and Conceptual Art, featuring Joseph Beuys, Giulio Paolini, Paolo Icaro, Pier Paolo Calzolari, and Alighiero Boetti.
Important contributions to Pop Art are also present, with notable works by leading figures such as Mario Schifano and Mimmo Rotella.
As per tradition, a wide space is dedicated to sculpture—a jewel in the department’s crown—with scenographically impactful works by Igor Mitoraj, Alik Cavaliere, Carmelo Cappello, Giò and Arnaldo Pomodoro, Fausto Melotti, Salvatore Scarpitta, and Pablo Atchugarry.
Finally, with the aim of increasingly engaging younger generations of collectors, the event will close on 29 May with a session entirely dedicated to Artist Prints and Multiples: over 150 lots distinguished by their fascinating technical and chronological variety.
Lot 34
Igor Mitoraj "Stella" 1985, bronze, cm 66x76x45. Signed and numbered 5/6 lower right.
Estimate € 50,000 - 70,000
Lot 141
Arnaldo Pomodoro "Rotante" 2002, bronze, diam. 30 cm. Signed, dated 2002 and numbered 5/8 on the base.
Estimate € 70,000 - 100,000