What does Venice feel like? In Concetto spaziale, Il cielo di Venezia, Lucio Fontana offers not a view of the city, but its atmosphere—its shimmering canals, celestial light, golden splendor, and timeless romance. Executed in 1961, this monumental canvas belongs to the artist’s celebrated Venezie series, a rare group of only twenty-two paintings inspired by Venice and considered among the most important works of his career.
Known for redefining the picture plane, Fontana uses punctures, swirling blue gestures, and luminous silver acrylic to create a work that feels both earthly and infinite. Here, Venice becomes sensation itself: sky and water, memory and movement, history and modernity united in a single radiant surface.
Presented by Sotheby's, this masterpiece from the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg will be offered in New York as part of the The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction, presented by CELINE. Discover one of the most poetic and visionary paintings of the twentieth century on 14 May 2026.
