Lot 24
  • 24

GIORGIO DE CHIRICO | Piazza d'Italia

Estimate
180,000 - 250,000 EUR
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Giorgio de Chirico
  • Piazza d'Italia
  • signed G. de Chirico towards lower left
  • oil on canvas
  • 35,4 x 54,9 cm; 14 x 21 5/8  in.
Painted in 1950-51.

Provenance

Probably, Edmondo Sacerdoti Gallery, Milan;
Acquired by the grandfather of the present owners, probably from the above

Literature

Claudio Bruni Sakraischik, Catalogo Generale, Giorgio de Chirico, volume settimo, opere dal 1951 al 1974, Milan, 1983, no. 1025, illustrated

Condition

Please note that colours are not true to the original painting in the printed catalogue, as colours are brighter. The canvas is not lined. There are pinholes at all four corners. There is a thick and uneven varnish preventing UV light from fully penetrating, however examination under UV light appears to reveal areas of old retouching notably in the foreground, in the background and to the sky, and some further areas of most recent retouching in places, notably to the upper right quadrant and to the left part of the lower edge. This work is in overall fairly good condition.
"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

“Precisely the "pause in time" is suggested by metaphysical images that gradually build up an iconographic armory, unique and incomparable, a mixture of personal memories and ancestral symbols, of humor and tragedy, of tranquility and unease."
Claudio Strinati in Metaphysical Art, The De Chirico Journals, Fondazione Giorgio E Isa De Chirico, Florence, 2012, p. 26


Born in Volos, Greece, in an Italian family, Giorgio de Chirico grew up surrounded by antique imagery. Classical mythology, history and architecture were an endless source of imagination for the artist who frequently represented these recurring topics in contemporary settings. After a neoclassical then neo-baroque period, Giorgio de Chirico revisited the topics characteristic of his metaphysical period from the 20s, among which was his Italian piazza series. Started before WWI and picked up at different times of his career, it was a running source of inspiration for Giorgio de Chirico as he saw it as “the infinite possibilities of a finite collection of objects”. "(Michael R. Taylor, Giorgio de Chirico and the myth of Ariadne, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2002, p. 133) As one of the most emblematic images of Chirico’s art, Piazza d’Italia represents an enigmatic and desert urban environment where mysterious shadows emerge from the arcades as in a dream. Created in the 50s, the work resumes the main motifs of the series: a red tower, two anonymous characters conversing in the background, a male statue probably inspired by that of Giovanni Battista Bottero in Turin serving as the focal point of the composition, and arcades. A real fascination and obsession for the artist, the latter are structuring elements of the composition. This work tackles with a smooth touch De Chirico’s core ideas: classicism, modernity, time, melancholy, nostalgia and existence. Piazza d’Italia elegantly captures the atmosphere Ardengo Soffici described as that of Chirico’s painting: “Giorgio de Chirico renders like no one else the poignant melancholy of the end of a beautiful day in an old Italian town, with a train passing in the background of a quiet piazza, behind loggias, porticos and old monuments.” (Ardengo Soffici,'De Chirico e Savinio' à Lacerba, July 1, 1914, p. n.).