Christie's Thinking Italian returns to Milan and withstands the crisis

Thinking Italian, Christie’s auction dedicated toItalian contemporary art, returns to Milan in the halls of Palazzo Clerici after its London session last October 22.

Due to the pandemic, the calendar underwent some changes that resulted in the postponement of the auction from spring to fall, but the reformulation of the dates does not seem to have affected too much the interest in the lots in the catalog, composed of a wide selection of more than one hundred works.

In the evening session on Nov. 4 (lots 1-47), unsolds weighed on the final balance, but the market, while not showing the euphoria of previous years, weathered the difficulties.

Among the artists in the catalog, particular interest is shown in the founders of the Forma 1 group, specifically: Accardi, Sanfilippo, Dorazio and Turcato.

Carla Accardi ’sFrammenti (1957) and Segni neri (1967-76) exceed € 100,000 starting from an auction base of € 70,000; Piero Dorazio ’s Piccola Scintillazione (1962)and Mira II (1961) change hands beyond their maximum estimate, respectively for € 125.000 and € 162,500, while the imposing canvas Untitled ( Antonio Sanfilippo, 1955) by, Carla Accardi’s husband, and Giulio Turcato ’s Composition No. 12 (1952) fetch € 62,500 and € 56,250.

In addition to Carla Accardi, another woman protagonist of the session is Sardinian artist Maria Lai. The splendid work Lai 78 (1978), exhibited at the Maxxi in Rome during the exhibition Tenendo per mano il sole, fetches € 106,250 from a base of € 60,000.

Carla Accardi, Frammenti (1957; casein tempera on canvas, 49 x 79 cm). Price realized: € 112,500

Carla Accardi, Segni neri (1957; paint on sicofoil, 95 x 68 cm). Price realized: 125,000 euros

Piero Dorazio, Piccola scintillazione (1962; oil on canvas, 73 x 54 cm). Price realized: 125,000 euros

Piero Dorazio, Mira II (1961; oil on canvas, 81.3 x 100.3 cm). Price realized: 162,500 euros

Antonio Sanfilippo, Untitled (1955; tempera on canvas, 114 x 162 cm). Price realized: 62,500 euros

Antonio Sanfilippo, Untitled (1955; tempera on canvas, 114 x 162 cm). Price realized: 62,500 euros

Giulio Turcato, Composition 12 (1952; oil on canvas, 73.5 x 138.5 cm). Price realized: 56,250 euros

The first of the evening’s top lots is Mario Schifano’s Paesaggio Anemico I (1964), accompanied by a remarkable curruculum, given its exhibition at the Salone delle Scuderie in Parma’s Pilotta for the 1974 Anthological Exhibition. Despite its excellent premise, the work struggles mightily and settles below its low estimate at €644,000, including commission. The artist’s other works also fare no better: two change hands while maintaining the auction base; the other is not adjudicated.

Lucio Fontana ’s presence makes itself felt, though muted compared to usual. As many as six works are presented, but only four pass to a new owner. What catches the eye is the heated dispute over the adjudication of the terracotta Concetto Spaziale (1954), which makes the lot fly from € 90,000 to € 250,000.

Other top lots include a rare tapestry byAlighieroBoetti from 1978 Untitled (one nine seven eight), one of the last to be made in Afghanistan before production moved to Pakistan. After the important London adjudication of the Celant work, Boetti is confirmed as a leading name in the art market domestically as well. The lot changes hands for € 620,000, almost doubling the auction base; the same goes for the other work, made on cast iron, Emme I Elle Elle E (1970), which fetches € 237,500.

Disappointing expectations are Kounellis, Scarpitta’s Croce di San Martino and Licini’s Nocturne (1958), which do not find a place.

As for sculptures, Leoncillo’s Presagio (1959)is adjudicated below the low estimate for € 375,000, while Arnaldo Pomodoro ’s Punto dello spazio (2004) reaches € 58,750.

The afternoon session on Nov. 5 (lots 48-113) opens with a series of unsold lots from the previous evening. These are Achille Perilli’s marvelous work La storia del Mammuth (1959) and two works by Giulio Paolini, which in the daytime were sold below their low estimate.

Among the protagonists of this second date are Perilli himself, Mario Nigro, who is present in the auction with two notable works, and Giulio Turcato with the two Lunar Surfaces.

Also in this session, all of Boetti’s works, both tapestries and works on paper, change hands exceeding estimates.

Also doing well are the more historicized group of works by postwar abstractionists, among whom Atanasio Soldati, Alberto Magnelli, Enrico Prampolini, and Manlio Rho stand out.

Relative to sculpture, notable results concern the series of vases and two ceramics by Fausto Melotti, as well as Lucio Fontana’s Centaur (1950)and Marisa Merz’s bronze head.

Thinking Italian Milansegnaa total gain of €6,857,875. While it remains far from the results achieved last year, it ends with a small number of unsold items, achieving a much better finish than the English session. The market, for the time being, seems to be reacting, with the hope that this trend will be confirmed in future dates.

Mario Schifano, Anemic Landscape I (1964; pencil and enamel on canvas, diptych, 220 x 200 cm). Price realized: 644,000 euros

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept (1954; painted terracotta, 30 x 40 cm). Price realized: 250,000 euros

Alighiero Boetti, Untitled (One Nine Seven Eight) (1978; embroidery, 91 x 98 cm). Price realized: 620,000 euros

Alighiero Boetti, EMME I ELLE ELLE E... (One Nine Seven Eight) (1970; spray paint on cast iron, 35 x 35 x 3 cm). Price realized: 237,500 euros

Jannis Kounellis, Untitled (1977; steam engine model and iron base, two elements, 156.5 x 40 x 40 cm). Not adjudicated

Salvatore Scarpitta, Cross of St. Martin (1959; bandages and mixed media, diptych, 66.7 x 147.3 cm). Not adjudicated

Osvaldo Licini, Nocturne (1958; oil on panel, 90 x 118 cm). Not adjudicated

Leoncillo, Presagio (1959; terracotta with oxides and glazes, 93 x 54 x 52 cm). Price realized: 375,000 euros.

Arnaldo Pomodoro, Point in Space (2004; bronze and corten, 63 x 61 x 53 cm). Price realized: 58,750 euros

Achille Perilli, The Story of the Mammoth (1959; mixed media on canvas, 195 x 130 cm). Price realized: 51,250 euros

Lucio Fontana, Centaur (1949-1950; colored and reflected ceramic, 37 x 30 x 4.5 cm). Price realized: 32,500 euros

Christie's Thinking Italian returns to Milan and withstands the crisis

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