Leoncillo, Grande Mutilazione, 1962.
Estimate €400,000-500,000.
This totemic sculpture functions as a monument to the career of this artist whose life-long dedication to the manipulation of clay was to come to an end just a few years after it was created.
Jean-Michael Basquiat, Untitled, 1981.
Estimate €300,000-400,000.
The automobile was a source of fascination for Basquiat throughout the tragically short journey of his life. This particular piece is a microcosm of Basquiat’s universe. Black-grey colour spreads disinterestedly, obscuring large parts of the canvas; his trademark ‘AAAA’ hovers like a lingering scream in the background; and an unexplained object rides in the front seat of the car.
Lucio Fontana, Concetto spaziale, 1961.
Estimate €800,000-1,200,000.
The thick oil paint of the work draws us in and invades our reality. With its echoes of byzantine art and neo-Austrian secessionism, this work is firmly linked to the long and illustrious history of the colour gold in art, transporting us beyond the simple glittering surface of the canvas as only Fontana can.
Lucio Fontana, Madonna, 1954.
Estimate €130,000-180,000.
Lucio Fontana’s lifelong interest in ceramics reached its peak in this sublime sculpture. The artist’s saturation in the Italian Catholic tradition is patent and though this may seem like a tangent from his renowned Spatialist works, the spiritual connotation of the Virgin Mary links the piece to the other dimension.
Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo (5), 1959.
Estimate €300,000-400,000.
Three years after moving from Greece to Rome, the elegance of this pared down canvas is a summation of the artist’s studies in stencil. With its monochromatic colour scheme and everyday subject matter, the work looks forward to Kounellis’ involvement with the Arte Povera movement in the late 1960s.
Marino Marini, Piccolo cavallino filiforme, 1951.
Estimate €180,000-250,000.
The essentialism of this work is a clear indication that Marini was shifting towards an abstract rendering of his renowned equestrian iterations. The artist reduces the voluminous forms of the horse to its bare bones, using lines and forms elegantly and playfully twisted in perfect harmony.
The Arte Moderna e Contemporanea auction on 28 & 29 November in Milan presents a diverse selection of art from post-war Italian and International artists. The auction includes a stunning selection of works by Lucio Fontana, Marino Marini and many more, which illustrate the richness and unique artistic career of these artists. Click through to see a selection of highlights from the sale.