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Auction Results

Now
The Italian Sale

15 October 2015 | 6:00 PM BST | London

SALE TOTAL

40,397,150GBP
Browse Lots
  • 17
    Lucio Fontana
    Concetto Spaziale, La Fine di Dio
    LOT SOLD.15,941,000GBP
  • 14
    Alberto Burri
    Bianco Plastica 1
    LOT SOLD.2,635,400GBP
  • 6
    Alberto Burri
    Combustione M.2
    LOT SOLD.1,805,000GBP
  • 23
    Lucio Fontana
    Concetto Spaziale
    LOT SOLD.1,565,000GBP
  • 7
    Lucio Fontana
    Concetto Spaziale, Attese
    LOT SOLD.1,505,000GBP
  • 21
    Paolo Scheggi
    Parete della Intercamera Plastica
    LOT SOLD.1,037,000GBP
  • 2
    Lucio Fontana
    Concetto Spaziale, Attese
    LOT SOLD.989,000GBP
  • 13
    Lucio Fontana
    Concetto Spaziale
    LOT SOLD.965,000GBP
  • 20
    Enrico Castellani
    Superficie Circolare Bianca
    LOT SOLD.893,000GBP
  • 11
    Alberto Burri
    Rosso Plastica
    LOT SOLD.845,000GBP
Browse Lots
Sale Number: L15624 Lots : 50

SALE TOTAL

40,397,150GBP DOWNLOAD RESULTS
  • Sale Tracked
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Overview

RESULTS

Our Italian Art sale realised £40,397,150 / $62,534,788 and was 78% sold by lot. Fifteen years after Sotheby’s introduced dedicated sales of 20th-century Italian Art in 1999, auction sales have grown eight-fold from £5.2 million.

The evening was led by Fontana’s La Fine di Dio which sold for £15.9 million, establishing a new auction record for the artist. Last exhibited over thirty years ago, the work had never been offered at auction before. This was one of ten works by Fontana sold in our rooms tonight. Quick-fire bids from seven collectors drove the golden Concetto Spaziale, Attese (1963-4) from the collection of Japanese artist Yoshihara Jiro (founder of the avant-garde Gutai group) to nearly £1 million.

The sale also saw strong prices for four works by Alberto Burri, currently in the spotlight at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – the artist’s first major U.S. retrospective in over 35 years. Lot 6, a 1956 ‘Combustione’ sold for £1 million over the pre-estimate; three bidders drove the work to £1.8 million.

AUCTION DETAILS

Lucio Fontana’s greatest achievement, La Fine di Dio is the focal point of the Italian Sale in London this October. Representing the summation of the renowned master of Spatialism’s pioneering career, this extremely rare and colossal egg-shaped canvas shatters the very definition of oil on canvas. The sale is also highlighted by further works from the Italian master including examples of his iconic tagli and olii, as well as an early and remarkable ceramic sculpture. Archetypal works by 20th-century masters Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio De Chirico and Marino Marini are joined by exceptional pieces by post-war pioneer Alberto Burri ahead of his eagerly anticipated retrospective at the Guggenheim in New York. Furthermore, the sale also features a rare installation by Paolo Scheggi: Parete della Intercamera Plastica is the only surviving piece of the artwork-environment constructed for Scheggi’s landmark 1967 exhibition at the Galleria del Naviglio, Milan.

Admission to the sale is by ticket only. Please call +44 (0)20 7293 5891 or email contemporary.tickets@sothebys.com for further information.

conditions of sale Saleroom Notice

Contact Information

Claudia Dwek
Chairman Contemporary Art Europe
Deputy Chairman Europe, Chairman, Italy
+39 02 2950 0278
claudia.dwek@sothebys.com
Oliver Barker
Chairman, Sotheby's Europe
+44 20 7293 5000
oliver.barker@sothebys.com
Alex Branczik
Senior Director
European Head of Department
Contemporary Art
+44 20 7293 5401
alex.branczik@sothebys.com
Isabelle Paagman
Senior Director
European Head of Private Sales
+44 20 7293 5495
isabelle.paagman@sothebys.com
Raphaelle Blanga
Senior Director
Head of Department
Contemporary Art
+39 02 2950 0225
raphaelle.blanga@sothebys.com
Stefano Moreni
Vice-président, France
Senior Director
Head of Department
Contemporary Art
+ 33 1 53 05 53 38
stefano.moreni@sothebys.com
Celina Langen-Smeeth
Deputy Director
Specialist
Contemporary Art
+44 207 293 5741
celina.langen-smeeth@sothebys.com
Helena Newman
Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe
Worldwide Head of Department
Impressionist and Modern Art
+44 20 7293 5397
helena.newman@sothebys.com
Samuel Valette
Senior Director, Vice Chairman, Private Sales Worldwide
Impressionist & Modern Art
+44 20 7293 5733
samuel.valette@sothebys.com
Dr Bernhard Brandstaetter
Senior Director
Specialist
Impressionist & Modern Art
+44 20 7293 5395
bernhard.brandstaetter@sothebys.com
Olimpia Isidori
Deputy Director
Specialist
Co-Head of Day Sale
Impressionist & Modern Art
+44 20 7293 5792
olimpia.isidori@sothebys.com
Alexander Williams
Business Manager
Contemporary Art
+44 20 7293 5751
alexander.williams@sothebys.com
   
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