Lot 11
  • 11

Fausto Melotti

Estimate
220,000 - 280,000 GBP
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Description

  • Fausto Melotti
  • La Piuma
  • signed
  • brass
  • 140 by 50 by 36 cm. 55 1/8 by 19 5/8 by 14 1/8 in.
  • Executed in 1973.

Provenance

Private Collection, Milan

Galleria dello Scudo, Verona

Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1999

Exhibited

Bologna, Forni Scultura, Fausto Melotti. Opere dal 1944 al 1986. Sculture, bassorilievi e carte, April – June 1995, p. 39, illustrated in colour

Zurich, Galerie Lawrence Rubin, Fausto Melotti und Lucio Fontana, February – March 1996

Lucca, Baluardo San Regolo, La linea non figurativa delle Collezioni Lucchesi: 60 opere anni '50-'70, September – October 2001, n.p., no. 1, illustrated in colour

Literature

Germano Celant, Melotti, Catalogo generale, Sculture 1973-1986 e Bassorilievi, Vol. II, Milan 1994, p. 369, no. 1973 57, illustrated

Condition

Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate. Condition: Please refer to the department for a professional condition report.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Graceful, emotive and enchantingly lyrical, La Piuma (The Feather) from 1973 is a poignant example of Fausto Melotti’s mature oeuvre. Eight weightless ideograms oscillate like a theatre of swaying bodies inside a thin freestanding metal frame. The geometric elements – rectangles and lunar silhouettes, simulating a waxing and waning crescent – hang in perfect equilibrium alongside a delicate feather that dominates the centre of the composition. Through the motif of the feather, Melotti imbued the work with symbolic gravitas, exploring profound emotional experiences through a universally accessible language. In Native American culture the feather is a symbol of celestial wisdom, while in Christianity, it is an emblem of virtues, such as charity, hope and faith. Looking towards the ancient Greeks, as well as Piero della Francesca and Johann Sebastian Bach for inspiration, the basis of Melotti’s work rest on a rigorous exercise of order and harmony. Nevertheless, there is a profoundly intuitive character to his sculpture, born from the belief that art was an intrinsic result of the subconscious. He explained: “In creation, culture is in balance with the revelations of the unconscious” (Fausto Melotti cited in: Exh. Cat., New York, Acquavella Galleries, Fausto Melotti, 2008, p. 41). A melodious work of art, in which gentle fluctuations of wind move the intricate symmetrical shapes, La Piuma is a beautiful paradigm of the two key tenants of Melotti’s practice: geometrical rigour and the elusive subconscious.

The whimsy materiality of Melotti’s seemingly weightless sculptures is a formal resolution of his explorations into new conceptions of spatial understanding and material innovation. The paradoxes of movement and immobility, rigidity and flexibility, solidity and weightlessness, are utilised as a means of challenging traditional formations of the sculptural medium. In their lightness Melotti’s delicate forms recall the iconic mobiles of Alexander Calder. Despite working on different continents, the artists employed an analogous sculptural language and imbued the traditionally solid medium of metal with a light expressiveness. Both originally trained in engineering and turned towards music, as well as the Surrealists and Constructivists for inspiration. The magic and genius of both artists lies in their ability to coalesce all of these influences to create dynamic and truly beautiful works of art.

A striking paradigm of Melotti’s revered ingenuity and formal dexterity, La Piuma (The Feather) displays a measured combination of stillness and movement. Its poised equilibrium of shapes and voids engenders a unique dialogue with the symbolic value of form in space.