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Lucio Fontana

Linda
In Art & Design, Arte & Design

Dialogue between Art & Design

The origins of design are to be found in the industrial revolution and in the development of mechanized production which took place from the middle of the 18th century until the mid-19th century.

The qualitative and aesthetic difference between objects created by industry and craft objects almost immediately posed the problem of qualifying new products based on new aesthetics, leaving behind traditional canons.

An architect-artist was Antoni Gaudí, who was able to capture the influences of art and translate them into architecture with a very personal style featuring Art Nouveau in the design of buildings.

After the First World War it was the Bauhaus that laid the roots for a more systematic theory of design and associated it with other disciplines such as art, architecture and manufacturing technique in order to unify artistic, aesthetic, practical and commercial interests.

The innovative school founded in Germany in 1919 by Walter Gropius – the 100th anniversary takes place in April of this year – represented a perfect combination of all the arts, a creative forge that set itself as a reference point for the so-called modern movement. The teachers, including some of the greatest artists of the time such as Paul Klee, Vassily Kandinsky, Josef Albers, László Moholy-Nagy, came from all over Europe. The strong influence of Russian Constructivism – emerging in 1913 and developing in the following years – on the artistic experiences of the Weimar Republic and on the Bauhaus is clear.

After the dissolution of the school and the persecutions of the Nazi regime in 1933, many artistic personalities brought the ideas developed by the Bauhaus movement to the United States.

The school continues its stylistic influences in the contemporary art as well, so much so that in 2007 the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei paid homage to Constructivism by proposing a reinterpretation of the 1920’s Tatlin Tower project inspired by the Tower of Babel: the sculpture by Ai Weiwei “Fountain of Light” is now preserved in the new Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi.

In 1932, the New York MoMA opened the first department of Architecture and Design Museum.

A few years later, in 1977, the multidisciplinary cultural center Center Pompidou was established in Paris, collecting works of modern art, design, architecture, photography, musical activity, cinematography and multimedia works.

In Milan, just a week ago the Triennale opened the Museum of Design, specializing in Italian design with over 1,600 items.
As we have seen, while some design icons have entered the homes of thousands of people, the same cannot be said of the exclusive and famous monochrome tables designed by the French artist Yves Klein in 1961, transparent plexiglass structures containing the trio of colors loved by the artist such as magenta pink, gold and blue that bears his name.

Picasso has extended his vast artistic practice to ceramics which, thanks to him, began in those years to be recognized as a real art, no longer simple craftsmanship.

Another example of an artist who has dedicated himself to this material is Lucio Fontana, who took his first steps in the workshop of his decorator-ceramist father, devoting himself to the design and production of particular furnishing components: his marvelous ceramic fireplaces still reach very high quotations at auction, even though they belong to a period much earlier than his research in spatialism.

The mixture of different disciplines has attracted many artists with different methods and techniques: for example, Le Corbusier, architect, painter, sculptor and designer, in 2015 his major retrospective at the Center Pompidou was opened for the occasion of the 50th anniversary since his death. The exhibition also celebrated the commitment of the Swiss architect in the field of classical arts, and the spaces of the museum highlighted the completeness and vastness of his artistic expression in the famous furniture, paintings, photographs, drawings and architectural projects.

Piet Mondrian, on the other hand, took inspiration from the architecture of New York to create his famous compositions of lines that, for the uninitiated, are real maps of New York and its skyscrapers.

The interpenetration of functionality and beauty, design and inspiration, feed and influence each other also in the case of the Memphis Group, a group of Italian designers and architects in Milan, active between 1981 and 1987, founded by Ettore Sottsass.
The use of bright colors and geometric shapes, in harmony with the pop culture of the time, creates objects that celebrate mass culture. The bright colors and the taste for the typographical technique of advertising and comics with the recovery of the typical puntinato are the basis of their unmistakable stylistic indicator in step with Pop Art.

In recent years there are many designers who have made the border between contemporary art, design and architecture even more fragile: Ron Arad could be one of them. For over 25 years he has been moving between different disciplines creating objects on the verge of design and sculpture. His limited-edition steel works, such as the Big Easy armchair or the Voido Rocking Chair have become the manifesto of his poetics aiming to overcome simple functionality.

Another example of design that becomes art is given by Les Lalanne, a studio formed by the French couple Claude Lalanne (who passed away just in these days) and Francois-Xavier Lalanne, who have often drawn from the Art Nouveau floral shapes and from the dreamlike dimension of Surrealism for their creations.
They showed us the magical side of nature and the animal world with a poetic and ironic language, able to talk to everyone overcoming the hierarchies between art, sculpture and functionality.

Among their collectors, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford stand out; the Lalanne have been the subject of many retrospectives and their works can be found in museum collections around the world.

The opposite has often happened, namely artists who have collaborated with commercial companies creating limited editions for collecting. One of these is Jeff Koons, who created a limited edition case – only 650 pieces – for the famous champagne brand Dom Pérignon, revisiting the work Balloon Venus.

Even a “normal” restaurant can become an artistic experience, in this case the London restaurant is designed by Damien Hirst and is called Pharmacy, just like the collection of some of his works.
Instead at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, fans of Young British Artists can rest among Hirst’s most famous works in the Hotel’s “Empathy Suite”.

Instead a more economical solution for those who want the work of a great name in contemporary art, can go back on the home line designed by Maurizio Cattelan for Toilet Paper, in collaboration with Seletti.

That said, the Milan design week with its thousands of installations and proposals, contributes to promoting a redefinition of the relationship between art and design, no longer considered as distinct categories but as an entity in continuous evolution.

 

“The shades of the art rainbow are endless: choose your favorite!”

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Linda
In News

London Auctions October 2018

The London autumn art week has ended, including Frieze, collateral fairs, many appointments and contemporary art auctions.

 

STRUGGLING FOR THE PLACE OF CHRISTIE’S AND CONTEMPORARY ART

4-5 OCTOBER 2018

AUCTION of at 4 OCTOBER EVENING. Total sales: £ 84,610,000 including premium.

AUCTION at 5 OCTOBER DAY. Total sales: £ 20,844,000 including premium.

For this auction session, Christie has fielded several lots of the highest quality. The highest expectation is the “Figure in Movement” canvas dated 1972 by Francis Bacon, on the cover of the catalogue, which from an estimate of £ 15,000,000-20,000,000 was sold for £ 19,921,250 including premium. The work came from the private collection of Magnus Konow and portrays George Dyer, Bacon’s muse and lover who died of an overdose shortly after the creation of this canvas that had always remained in the Konow’s collection.

Francis Bacon, Figure in Movement, 1972

Oil and dry transfer writing on canvas

198 x 148 cm

 

Jean Dubuffet also performed well with “Lady in Garden”, oil and collage on canvas from 1956, which from an estimate of £ 2,500,000-3,500,000 was sold at £ 4,508,000 including interest.

Jean Dubuffet, Lady in Garden, 1956

Oil and collage on canvas

148 x 120 cm

 

Also good for Keith Haring’s great work “Untitled” of 1984, given an estimate of £ 3,000,000-5,000,000, it was sold at £ 3,946,250 including interest.

Keith Haring, Untitled, 1984

Acrylic on canvas, work in 4 parts

Total dimensions: 304.8 x 304.8 cm

 

Record for “Bull with Hole”, oil and resin on canvas of 1986 by Albert Oehlen, estimated £ 800,000-1,200,000 reached the amount of £ 3,608,750 thus exceeding the record of 2.9 million reached in 2017.

Albert Oehlen, Bull with Hole, 1986

Oil and resin on canvas, Diptych

Single canvas size: 187.6 x 188.3 cm

Total dimensions: 187.6 x 376.6 cm

 

Hurvin Anderson who with the oil on canvas of the 2003 “Country Club” adventured on £ 2,048,750 including interest, from an estimate of 1,000,000-1,500,000 £.

Hurvin Anderson, Country Club, 2003

Oil painting on canvas

162 x 265 cm

 

At the Lot 49 we find another work by Francis Bacon, “Painted Screen “, three panels joined by iron hinges of 1929 estimated at £ 700,000-1,000,000, which doubled and exceeded the highest estimate reaching £ 2,408,000 including interest.

Francis Bacon, Painted Screen, about 1929

Oil on plywood with metal hinges

Each panel: 183 x 61 x 2.8 cm

Total dimensions: 183 x 183 x 2.8 cm

 

Very good for the Turin artist Aldo Mondino, who on the occasion of his 70th birth anniversary marks the new record during the First World War and contemporary art auction with “Tappeti Stesi” (Carpets), the work of 1989, sold for £ 68,750 including interest. The starting estimate was £ 30,000-50,000 (Lot 343).

The Tappeti Stesi are wall compositions that entered Eraclite between the 80s and 90s and include one of the most famous cycles among those unleashed by the artist, fascinated by Middle Eastern culture.

Aldo Mondino, Tappeti Stesi, 1989

Acrylic on compressed chipboard, Diptych

Overall dimensions: 250 x 200 cm

 

Disappointment instead for “Skull”, oil on canvas of 1983 by Gerhard Richter published on the second cover, which remained unsold for 11.5 million pounds (estimate on request).

Same fate also for Jeff Koons’ “Cracked egg (blue)”, unsold 8.5 million pounds: it started from an estimate of 10,000,000-15,000,000 pounds.

Gerhard Richter, Skull, 1983

Oil painting on canvas

80.4 x 65 cm

 

Jeff Koons, Cracked Egg (blue), 1994-2006

One of the unique works of a series of 5

Mirror polished steel with transparent coating

165.1 x 159.1 x 159.1 cm

100 x 159.1 x 159.1 cm

 

Even “Still life with Zimmerlinde”, an unusual subject by Lucian Freud, remains unsold at £ 750,000 being above the maximum rating of £ 600,000.

Lucian Freud, Still life with Zimmerlinde, about 1950

Oil painting on canvas

25 x 21.5 cm

 

Withdrawal from the auction for Georg Baselitz’s 11 oils on canvas, estimated between 6 and 10 million pounds.

 

CHRISTIE’S THINKING ITALIAN

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Total sales: £ 40,408,000 including premium.

Thinking of Christie’s Italian, the first edition represents the evolution of Italian sales, a format that for the first time in 20 years has not been renewed by Sotheby’s, which has chosen to include art in art. October 5 and 6.

The evening with Christie, also packed with Italian collectors and operators, continued with a catalogue of the highest level made up of 37 important works ranging from Futurism to Arte Povera: many and predictable relaunched during the auction.

Learn more about the price achieved by the rare work “Space concept, The end of God” of 1963 which, starting at £ 12.5 million, was sold to an anonymous telephone collector for £ 17,108,750 including interest. The estimate was on demand, around £ 17 million. With this release “Spatial concept, The end of God” has become the second best-selling work at auction by Lucio Fontana.

The work had already gone up for auction in 2013 from Christie’s in New York and had reached £ 13 million on that occasion.

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept, The end of God, 1963

Oil and glitter on canvas

178 x 123 cm

“Spatial Concept” of 1953, a delicate and beautiful composition in oil and glass on canvas on the cover of the catalogue, reaches £ 1,832,750, interest included from a starting estimate of £ 1,600,000-2,500,000.

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept, 1953

Oil and glass on canvas

60 x 73 cm

 

The second work by price made is a “Achrome” by Manzoni from 1957-58 which was included in the Contemporary Art section and which was then moved to “Think Italian” (Lot 119A). The canvas made £ 3,608,750 including interest from an estimate of £ 3,000,000-5,000,000.

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1957-58

Kaolin on canvas

61 x 81 cm

 

Another Manzoni’s “Achrome” dated 1958-59 (Lot 118) touched the amount of £ 1,928,750 interest included from an estimate of £ 1,000,000-1,500,000.

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1958-59

Kaolin on canvas

60 x 80 cm

 

The other protagonists of this part of the evening were the Italian artists who imposed attention by setting some records.

 

Salvatore Scarpitta realized for £ 1,808,750 interest included with the work of 1960 from the Leo Castelli’s gallery “Alta Sposa”, starting estimate £ 1,000,000-1,500,000.

Salvatore Scarpitta, High Bride, 1960

Bandages on mixed supports on canvas

152.5 x 102 cm

 

Maria Lai’s work “Sheet” of 1989 from an estimate of £ 20,000-30,000 flied to £ 150,000 including interest, far exceeding the previous record of € 32,000 in 2015.

Maria Lai, Sheet, 1989

Thread and fabric embroidered on fabric

141.7 x 230 cm

 

Alberto Savinio also flied high with “Croix marine”, oil on canvas from 1929 estimated at £ 600,000-800,000 and sold for £ 692,000 including premium.

Alberto Savinio, Croix Marine, 1929

Oil painting on canvas

73 x 92 cm

 

“Great mutilation”, sculpture more than two meters high dated 1962 by Leoncillo, reached £ 728,750 including interest (estimate £ 350,000-500,000) and thus exceeded the € 283,000 record of the Christie’s auction in Milan in April 2018.

Leoncillo, Great mutilation, 1962

Stoneware and glaze

218 x 39 x 39 cm

 

Alberto Burri with “Sacco Nero Rosso” of 1957 reached £ 980,750 including interest from an estimate of £ 450,000-600,000.

Alberto Burri, Sacco Nero Rosso, 1957

Sackcloth, acrylic, plastic burning and vinavil on fabric

38 x 46 cm

 

Another nice surprise was Carol Rama, who with “Untitled”, a work of 1977, managed to double the estimate of £ 60,000-80,000 to reach £ 175,000 including interest.

Carol Rama, untitled, 1977

Tissue paper, tire, pastel, tempera, cotton thread and metal hook on soft top canvas

130.5 x 75 cm

 

Gino Severini with “Portrait de l’auteur” of 1916, displayed the £ 908,000 interest included from the estimate of £ 700,000-1,000,000.

Gino Severini, Portrait de l’auteur, 1916

Oil painting on canvas

100.3 x 74.3 cm

 

There were surprises among the unsold, including two Fontana’s works: red “Spatial Concept, Waiting” (Lot 125) and white “Spatial Concept, Waiting” (Lot 129).

 

SOTHEBY’S EVENING AUCTION

The David Teiger collection and Contemporary Art achieved the total revenue of £ 69,787,000 including premia, against the high estimate of £ 73.5 million.

SOTHEBY’S THE HISTORY OF NOW: DAVID TEIGER’S COLLECTION

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Total sales: £ 35,921,100 including premia.

Sotheby’s opened the auction session with 25 works mainly by contemporary artists from the collection of David Teiger, almost all of them getting a somewhat lower value than expected.

The evening was opened by the artist’s record reached by “Wants to see it all”, a work of 2002, by Kai Althoff, which from the estimate of £ 80,000 – 120,000 got £ 574,000 including interest, after a long battle between collectors on the phone.

Kai Althoff, Wants to see it all, 2002

Paint, tempera and paper on canvas, edged with iron

50.2 x 60 cm

 

No twists and turns until Lot 6, when “Propped”, oil on canvas of 1992 by Jenny Saville, chosen for the catalogue cover and estimated £ 3,000,000-4,000,000, came with a £ 9,537,250 including premium, after a long phone battle between collectors marking the record for a living woman artist. This result reflects competition, and the competition in the role of women in art.

This large canvas, which made Saville famous thanks to the exhibition “Sensation” held in 1997 at the Royal Academy of Arts, was owned by the magnate Charles Saatchi, and it revolutionizes the traditional representation of the woman’s body.

Jenny Saville, Propped, 1992

Oil painting on canvas

213.4 x 182.9 cm

 

“Station Buffalo I “, oil on canvas dated 1997-1998, reached £ 7,561,500 including premium from the estimate of £ 6,000,000-8,000,000.

With the same estimate, according to the characteristics of the former in terms of subject, data, size, and technique, the result was different for ” Station Buffalo II”, which was sold at the price of £ 4,513,000. Probably this second work by Doig went to the third party guarantor, who had ensured the painting.

Peter Doig, Buffalo Station I, 1997-98

Oil painting on canvas

175.3 x 269.9 cm

Peter Doig, Buffalo Station II, 1997-98

Oil painting on canvas

175.3 x 269.9 cm

 

Not very good however for “Minerva”, oil on canvas by John Currin, which first remained unsold and was then put up for auction again at only £ 370,000, included, in a starting forecast of £ 800,000 – £ 1,200,000.

John Currin, Minerva, 2000

Oil painting on canvas

71.1 x 55.9 cm

 

SOTHEBY’S EVENING CONTEMPORARY ART AND DAY AUCTION

5-6 OCTOBER 2018

EVENING AUCTION 5 OCTOBER: Total sales: £ 33,865,900, including premiа.

DAY AUCTION 6 OCTOBER: Total sales: £ 14,008,500, including premiа.

After the Teiger collection, the evening continued at Sotheby’s with 40 lots of Contemporary Art.

The undisputed star of all the international press was Banksy’s work, which suddenly destroyed itself after being sold for £ 1,042,000, including interest. “Girl with Ballon”, made in 2006, was the last lot of the auction and was estimated at £ 200,000-300,000. Shortly after the time, the mechanism hidden inside the frame activated and the work of the artist from Bristol was shredded in small strips. The bewildering and surprising performance immediately made Banksy claimed on social media. The value of the work has been exceeded with regards to marketing and resonance it made.

Banksy, Girl with Baloon, 2006

Spray paint and acrylic on canvas, mounted on a frame by the artist

101 x 78 x 18 cm

 

Part of Banksy’s unexpected performance were a few twists in this auction session. Hence two works by Georg Baselitz that far exceed expectations: “Ohne Titel” of 1966 from an estimate of £ 450,000-650,000 reached £ 1,150,000 including interest; while “Kopfkissen”, oil on canvas of 1987, took the figure of £ 1,450,000, the starting estimate was £ 40,000-600,000.

Georg Baselitz, Ohne Titel (Der Neue Typ), 1966

Tempera, ink and pastel on paper

39.1 x 26 cm

Excellent result for Adrian Ghenie’s “Boogeyman” dated 2010, which from an estimate of £ 2,000,000-3,000,000 flied to £ 4,851,900 including premium.

Adrian Ghenie, Boogeyman, 2010

Oil painting on canvas

200 x 335 cm

 

Among the unsold, some also present some excellent names, such as a “Spatial Concept, Expectations” by Lucio Fontana, a Castellani “Troika” and two Kapoor “Parabolic Mirror, Asagi” and “Untitled”.

“Again and again”, Kaws acrylic on canvas depicting the cartoon character Sponge Bob, set a record and a Taiwanese dealer was awarded after a long telephone battle, flying from the estimate of £ 250,000-350,000 to £ 1,030,000 interest included.

Kaws, again and again, 2008

Acrylic on canvas

172.8 x 172.8 cm

 

PHILLIPS SHAPE & SPACE: NEW CERAMIC PRESENCE

5 OCTOBER

Total sales: £ 2,493,250 including premia.

The Phillips auction house, in addition to being increasingly attentive to and publishes photography (auction on 4 October), dedicates an entire session to ceramics intended to strengthen the dialogue between art, design and craftsmanship.

Ceramics, a technique traditionally placed among the decorative arts, is now viewed with renewed interest also by the so-called “emerging” collectors. With a private auction, Phillips captured the public’s attention by presenting the material in a completely different light.

The new interest in ceramic artists had already emerged in New York last December during the evening design auction when the work “Rondena” by Peter Voulkos, sculpture of powerful dimensions, set a record for an American ceramic artist totalling $ 915,000, premium included, $ 400,000 beyond its high rating.

As we saw in the Christie’s Thinking Italian auction on October 4, the excellent result achieved by Leoncillo is the market trend: the “Great Mutilation” stoneware sculpture was sold at £ 728,750 against a high estimate of £ 500,000.

On the occasion of the autumn auction of Phillips, the curator Francesco Bonami proposed 32 works both modern and contemporary signed by Fontana, Ai Weiwei, Fausto Melotti, Picasso and Roy Lichtenstein followed by other lesser-known masters who worked in this material.

 

DESIGN FOR SALE, NEW YORK, EVENING AUCTION, DECEMBER 12, 2017

Total sales: $ 6,198,625 including premia

Peter Voulkos, Rondena, 1958

Porcelain stoneware, brushed cobalt, iron, epoxy resin

157.5 x 95.9 x 82.6 cm

Estimate: $ 300,000-500,000

Sold for $ 915,000, including premium

 

Lucio Fontana, Horse, 1935-36

59.5 x 79.5 x 46 cm

Estimate: £ 400,000- £ 600,000

Sold for £ 549,000, including premium

 

Roy Lichtenstein, Ceramic Sculpture # 10, 1965

21.6 x 22.5 x 21.6 cm

Estimate: £ 250,000-350,000

Sold for £ 309,000 prize included

 

Ai Weiwei, He Xie, 2010

Variable dimensions

Estimate: £ 400,000- £ 600,000

Sold for £ 609,000 including premium

 

Pablo Picasso, Hibou (Owl), 1975

34 x 20 x 4 cm

Estimate: £ 50,000-70,000

Sold for £ 93,750 including premium

 

Fausto Melotti, Female Figure, about 1950

Height 21.7 cm

Estimate: £ 40,000-60,000

Sold at £ 56,250 prize included

 

“The shades of the art rainbow are endless: choose your favorite!”

 

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