The authority of the 26, 27 and 28 May 2026 Modern and Contemporary Art auction within the international collecting landscape is beyond dispute.
With over € 4,7 million in turnover, 90% of lots sold, and a 198% increase on starting prices, the strong appreciation for a proposal grounded in rigorous selection and the highest quality of works is once again confirmed.
Structured across four sessions and enhanced by an increasingly popular section dedicated to Prints and Artist Multiples, the sale stood out for its intense participation, once again establishing itself as a strategic observatory of the market and of the collecting preferences of a global audience that is increasingly discerning in its artistic choices and ever more detached from speculative dynamics.
Seated on the throne of the sale is Josef Albers with Study for Homage to the Square: Full Tenor, sold for €384,000: a landmark work within the artist’s oeuvre, executed in 1959 and supported by a solid exhibition history, as well as one of the most accomplished expressions of geometric abstraction in the second half of the twentieth century.
Lot 75
Josef Albers "Study for Homage to the Square: Full Tenor" 1959, oil on masonite, cm 45,7x45,7.
Sold € 384.000
At his side stands an undisputed queen: Leonor Fini, an artist who had already attracted considerable attention in 2022 with Il Ponte during the auction dedicated to Valentina Cortese, contributing to her progressive rise and full recognition within the museum world. Her Portrait d’Italo Svevo has now achieved a record price for an early work (€358,400). Despite the declaration of historical and artistic interest issued by the Italian Superintendency, the work sparked fierce competition among bidders before ultimately being acquired by the Fondazione CRTrieste. An operation that confirms the crucial role of institutional patronage in safeguarding and preserving works fundamental to cultural memory — in this case, that of Trieste’s Mitteleuropean heritage and two of its leading protagonists.
Lot 14
Leonor Fini "Portrait d'Italo Svevo" 1928, oil on panel, cm 54x45,5.
Sold € 358.400
Among the highlights of the sale, within the section devoted to major Italian painting between the first and second halves of the twentieth century, were Giorgio Morandi with Fiori from 1946 (€256,000), Alberto Magnelli with Entente secrète from 1948 (€102,400), Felice Casorati with Fanciulla che dorme from 1955 (€96,000), and Massimo Campigli with Ragazza con abito verde / Composizione e figure / Tre figure from 1956 (€83,200). Together, these works reflect the variety of artistic languages and the enduring recognition of some of the founding masters of modern figurative art.
Lot 37
Giorgio Morandi "Fiori" 1946, oil on canvas, cm 20,3x25,5.
Sold € 256.000
Lot 81
Alberto Magnelli , "Entente Secrète" 1948, oil on canvas, cm 46x55.
Sold € 102.400
Lot 35
Felice Casorati "Fanciulla che dorme" 1955, oil on canvas, cm 90x55.
Sold € 96.000
Particular mention should be made, for both rarity and historical significance, of Medardo Rosso’s Enfant juif (€89,600), an emblematic work of the artist’s revolutionary sculptural research and testimony to a sculptural sensibility that continues to exert strong appeal on the international collecting scene.
Also noteworthy in the field of sculpture is Alberto Viani’s sensual Nudo seduto from 1949 (€83,200).
Lot 36
Medardo Rosso "Enfant juif", wax, 26x14,5x20,5 cm.
Sold € 89.600
Lot 72
Alberto Viani "Nudo seduto" 1949, bronze, cm 125x84x55.
Sold € 83.200
The market’s attention towards works by Salvo is further confirmed — Una sera (€128,000) — particularly those belonging to the artist’s most mature and recognisable period.
Lot 116
Salvo "Una sera" 1990, oil on canvas, cm 80x70.
Venduto € 128.000
Also worth highlighting are Enrico Baj’s Commandeur from 1960 (€96,000) and Mario Schifano’s Dada Festival from 1965 (€89,600).
Lot 111
Enrico Baj "Commandeur" 1960, oil, collage, trimmings, embellishments, fabric on canvas, cm 81x100.
Sold € 96.000
Lot 114
Mario Schifano "Dada Festival" 1965, enamel, graphite and collage on canvas, cm 73x60.
Sold € 89.600