Lucio Fontana

Acquistato dalla famiglia dell’attuale proprietario direttamente dall’artista

Venezia, XXV Biennale Internazionale d'Arte, 1950, n. 16
Milano, Triennale, Arts & Food, Rituali dal 1851, Milano 2015, p. 466, n. 532, illustrato a colori (illustrato ruotato di 45° in senso antiorario)

This work appears to be in generally good overall condition. Colours are fairly accurate but fail in rendering the sparkle gold. There are two losses on the left horse with raider, one on the leg of the central soldier, two on the lower soldier, one on the leg of the right horse and three with retouching along the lower edge. There is a loss on the reverse of the plate along the border.
"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."

“Alcune parti di sculture giacevano, abbandonate, in un laboratorio di ceramica di Albissola fra un cumulo di cocci, vasi ed oggetti usciti rotti dal forno di cottura. Ricordo ancora con nitidezza quella materia, resa organica e viva dai gesti dello scultore, che scaturiva dallo spazio piano della creta [...]
Dei gesti come grumi di cosmo apparivano nello spazio creato dall’azione dell’uomo e dall’azione primordiale del fuoco del forno che, come una piccola matrice, aveva sviluppato gli embrioni dell’opera. Solo i difetti e le rotture sminuivano l’incanto di quel concetto spaziale. È così che a diciotto anni ho incontrato il lavoro di Lucio Fontana.” 

"Some parts of the sculptures were lying, abandoned, in a pottery workshop in Albissola among a pile of debris, broken vases and objects that came from the oven. I still remember with clarity that matter, made organic and alive by the sculptor's gestures, that sprung from the clay's floor space [...] Gestures as cosmos lumps appeared in the space created by man's action and the primordial action of the oven's fire that, like a small matrix, had developed the embryos of the work. Only the flaws and cracks belittled the enchantment of that spatial concept. That's how, at the age of eighteen, I met the work of Lucio Fontana. "

Giuseppe Penone, Fontana Luce e Colore, 2008