Piero Manzoni

Kaolin on canvas

Galleria Blu, Milan
Rosalia Castaldo, Torre Annunziata
Libero Grande, Naples (acquired directly from the above in 1975)
Thence by descent
Sale: Sotheby's, London, Property from the Collection of Libero Grande, Naples, 19 September 2004, Lot 55
Acquired directly from the above by the late owner

Germano Celant, Piero Manzoni Catalogo Generale, Milan 1975, p. 174, no. 3 cvo, illustrated vertically

Freddy Battino and Luca Palazzoli, Piero Manzoni, Milan 1991, p. 284, no. 386 BM, illustrated

Germano Celant, Piero Manzoni Catalogo Generale, Vol. II, Milan 2004, p. 455, no. 415, illustrated 

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals a few handling marks along the outer edges. There are three very short rub marks to the top left corner tip. The minute scattered specks of accretion are layered within the kaolin, which suggests they are original to the work's execution. There are a few dust and other media fibres adhering to the surface in places. No restoration is visible under ultraviolet light.
"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."

Property from the Collection of the late Stanley J. Seeger

Stanley Seeger was one of the greatest collectors of the Twentieth Century. We are delighted to be offering four outstanding Italian works from his collection in this sale (Lots 7 to 10), followed by a group of works which will be offered as part of the Contemporary Art Day Sale (Lots 178 to 187, and Lot 340) on 18 October.
Works by modern Italian masters such as Bianco-Rosso (T T X) (1954) by Alberto Burri and Ragazzo col Tacchino (1955) by Afro Basaldella number among the earliest pieces ever acquired by Seeger, each purchased in New York in 1955. First inspired by a year abroad in Florence following his graduation from Princeton in 1952, Seeger’s love for modern Italian art led to further exceptional acquisitions throughout his lifetime, including the lyrical and minimal Achrome of 1958-59 by Piero Manzoni and Cretto (1973) by Alberto Burri, a richly textured example from the artist’s renowned Cretti series.
The heyday of Seeger’s collecting began in the late 1970s when he inherited his fortune and met his life-long partner Christopher Cone. Under Cone’s influence the scope of Seeger’s collecting expanded further as he acquired important works by British artists like J.M.W. Turner, Christopher Wood, Graham Sutherland and Ben Nicholson. It was at this time that he acquired Sutton Place, the first of many homes, and set about an extensive plan of restoration with the same expertise and thoroughness that characterised his acquisition of art.
For Seeger – a quiet and immensely private man – collecting was always a self-enclosed activity; he rarely visited museums or galleries and tended not to talk about the works he acquired. As John Richardson said, “For Seeger collecting is a very private pleasure, and, I suspect, an obsessive one: an exercise in scholarship as well as connoisseurship”. Collections were assembled assiduously, with real care and devotion, yet once he felt a collection had ‘fulfilled itself’, he had to move on. The result of this restlessness was a series of very successful auctions beginning in 1993 with the now legendary sale of an outstanding group of Picassos.  
Seeger derived huge pleasure from acquiring beautiful works of art and the collections he built – often hugely diverse in scope – reflect a quiet, unspoken confidence in his own judgement. The calibre of the works offered in this sale, works which reflect the diversity of his collecting interests, are a confirmation of his extraordinary eye for quality.