MILAN, Italy – Collectors who want to enter the Italian art market have plenty of opportunities on the calendar in the upcoming weeks. The activity actually began today, April 12, as as the contemporary art fair in Milan — MiArt — opened its doors. At the same time, Genoa-based Cambi Auction House opened a new base in the heart of Milan and the international auction house Sotheby’s held—again in Milan—a special sale dedicated to photography. “Special” because it represents a chance to support a Milanese foundation completely devoted to photography, Fondazione Forma, which, since its beginnings in 2005, has been organizing exhibitions, lectures and courses exclusively reliant on private support.
The photographs in the auction were donated by artists and collectors, and the revenue from the auction will benefit the foundation and finance its future activities. Among the photographs in the sale are works by important Italian photographers such as Mimmo Jodice, Gabriele Basilico, and Massimo Vitali, as well as international names like Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, and Martin Parr.
Cambi Auction House, on the other hand, is using the occasion of the opening of its new venue to present highlights of its future sales, which will be African Art, and Modern & Contemporary Art, on April 24 in Genoa. The African Art sale will feature artifacts made by the Yoruba People (population approx. 20 million). They are based primarily in the southwest region of Nigeria and hold art and artists in highest regard. Their religion, which is extremely complex and based on an extraordinary number of divinities, could be considered the base of the voodoo religion.
The auction contains several statues of twins representing “ibéjì,” a term that refers to the Yorubas’ veneration of twins. Upon the death of a twin, a statue is made in the deceased person’s likeness and given to the surviving twin. These effigies are then carefully fed, washed and assisted by the entire family. Estimates range between $850-$3,300.
The Modern & Contemporary Art session on the same day will feature artwork by Italian and international artists, with estimates starting from $200 for a collage by Giosetta Fioroni—the only woman artist in the Roman art movement “Piazza del Popolo School”—to $65,000 for a bronze head by sculptor Arturo Martini.
The cover lot is a shaped canvas titled “Blu” by Agostino Bonalumi, who is at the present time one of the most sought-after Italian artists on the international market (estimate: $26,000–$33,000). Since March, Bonalumi has been represented in the US by Barbara Mathes Gallery in New York.
In addition, before these two events in Genoa, Cambi Auction House will hold on April 16 its fourth online auction since the beginning of the year, which attests to the great success online auctions are enjoying at the moment. Also Turin-based auction house Sant’Agostino Aste is entering the online-auction market on April 18 with its first online-only sale of 19th and 20th century paintings.
Exciting news come from Rome, as well. On April 19, art buyers can get an insight into a Roman collection when auction house Bloomsbury presents Luciano Chesini’s art collection. Chesini is a Roman architect, hotelier and president of RomeContemporary, an association that organizes Rome’s contemporary art fair. Very contemporary is his collection, as well, which focuses on figurative paintings dating from the 1980s to today. Among the highlights are works by Carlo Bertocci (estimates between $2,000-$3,300) and by other representatives of “Pittura Colta” (cultivated painting), an art movement born in Italy in the 1980s in opposition to the Transavanguardia movement, striving for rigorous form and intellectual contents full of quotations from literature and history.
Other works on sale reflect Luciano Chesini’s interest in theatre, another field in which he is active, or show people he admires. Examples include Glauco Cortini’s photograph of Pierpaolo Pasolini (estimate $900-$1,000), Guglielmo Coluzzi’s photograph of Curzio Malaparte (estimate $ 400–$650), and the portrait of Maria Callas and Anna Magnani by Mario Schifano, an important artist of the Italian pop art movement (estimates between $2,600 and $5,200).
Further events are dedicated to other market segments and collectibles: on April 20–21, for instance, Farsetti will offer in Prato (Tuscany), paintings and furniture from the 17th to the 19th century, including a masterpiece by Tranquillo Cremona estimated between $314,000-$366,000. Ancient furniture and paintings will hit the block also at Meeting Art in Vercelli (Piedmont) from April 14 to 29. International ArtSale in Milan will offer on April 18 jewels and watches, while Gonnelli Casa d’Aste in Florence will offer, at the end of the month, ancient manuscripts including the collection of the son of the auction house’s founder (April 27–28).
Let the Grand Tour of Italian art market begin!
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About Silvia Anna Barrilà:
Silvia Anna Barrilà is an Italian fine arts journalist and regular contributor to the Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 ORE (ArtEconomy24). She also writes about art, design, lifestyle and society for a number of Italian and international magazines, including DAMn Magazine and ICON (Mondadori). She is based in Milan and Berlin.
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