Beschreibung:

LUCIO FONTANA (1899-1968)Concetto spaziale, Attese
1960
stamped with the artist's thumbprint on the lower right
waterpaint on canvas
100 by 80 cm.
39 3/8 by 31 1/2 in.
This work was executed in 1960.
FootnotesProvenance
Marlborough Galleria d'Arte, Rome (R.1735)
Maglietta Collection, Rome
Galleria d'Arte Sianesi, Milan (280/4; 7795)
Acquired directly from the above by the previous owner
Thence by descent to the present owner
Literature
Mario Fin, 'Lucio Fontana, un santo che dà rasoiate nelle tele' in Via!, p. 7, no. 8, a. XIV, 1960, illustrated
Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana Catalogue raisonné des peintures, sculptures et environnements spatiaux, vol. II, Brussels 1974, p. 95, no. 60 T 53, illustrated in black and white
Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana Catalogo Generale, vol. I, Milan 1986, p. 322, no. 60 T 53, illustrated in black and white
Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana Catalogo ragionato di sculture, dipinti, ambientazioni, Tomo I, Milan 2006, p. 492, no. 60 T 53, illustrated in black and white
The present collection of six inimitable masterworks beautifully demonstrates the artistic genius of Lucio Fontana and his unchallenged position as one of the most influential creative minds of the 20th century. Amongst the most important single owner collections of works by the artist to be offered at auction in decades, the present works have not been seen by the public in half a century. Unifying all six works are properties of the Spazialismo movement, pioneered by Fontana in 1947, where he searched to create a new dimension by representing an astrophysical void. The vicennial long range included in this collection - spanning works from as early as 1951 to 1968 - demonstrates a clear continuous process of his technique and increasing interest in the conceptual logic behind his practices. In his seminal 1946 Manifiesto blanco, Fontana wrote "the discovery of new physical forces and the control of matter and space will gradually impose new conditions that have not been previously known to man in the entirety of the course of history. The application of these discoveries to all the modalities of life will produce a modification in the nature of man. Man will take on a new psychic structure" (the artist in: Guido Ballo, L. Fontana: Idea per un ritratto, New York 1971, p. 186). His writings are inextricably linked to the works seen in the present collection, aiming to create new contemporary art which remained in touch with the astrophysical scientific developments of the time.
Fontana's gestural slashes on the flat picture plane revolutionised the distinction between destruction and creation, giving the "spectator an impression of spatial calm, of cosmic rigor, of serenity in infinity" (the artist in: Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana Catalogo Ragionato di Sculture, Dipinti, Ambientazioni, Vol. I, Milan 2006, p. 105). The seemingly random and spontaneous, but actually highly precise cuts on the canvas portray the cosmos of an unknown dimension, setting his creations free from the universally accepted limitations of the flat surface. Concetto Spaziale, Attese from 1960, the striking red canvas in the present collection, is amongst the most recognisable and sought after works by Lucio Fontana due to the rich, striking red hue, which augments the darkness coming through two perfectly balanced slashes. Works of the same seductive, bold monochrome red hue are amongst the most iconic by the artist and continue to achieve record prices at auction.
Born in Argentina in 1899, then moving to Italy in 1905, Fontana lived through some of the most unstable years of the 20th century. That, alongside his initial training as a sculptor is clearly recognised in works from the Tagli series as he rejected the confinement of physical materials and the physical space of a canvas. The artist's clever balance of impulse and manipulation, seen through his vertical slashes, gives the viewer a sense of a dramatic, yet confident search for a self-created dimension, intended to be found within the canvas itself. The artist's Tagli series, superbly represented in this collection, is considered by many as his most diverse and gripping group of works. The intricate compositions and layers of symbolism found in these pieces are a true testament to the depth and sophistication with which the artist approaches the concept.
Concetto spaziale, Attese from 1959 is one of the earliest works in the collection and an extremely rare example due to the unusually shaped canvas and high number of unmistakably elegant slashes – fourteen of them – incised in three separate layers. Implicitly associated with Fontana's theories on the form of the universe and purposely unsettling, the shaped canvas opens our eyes to the freedoms of abstraction and is independent to traditional associations of painting. Similarly, with an unusual feature, equally rare to the market, Concetto spaziale, Attese from 1960, the soft pink canvas, carries a rare feature, the artist's fingerprint, on the bottom righthand side. With three similarly sized incisions, this work opens an abstract dimension found within the canvas, whilst carrying a touch – literally – of reality. The beautiful pink sanguine hue radiates elegance and serenity.
Clear influences of Europe in the aftermath of two devastating world wars, alongside the Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s can be seen in Fontana's ideology which has a firm focus on space and abstract dimensions. Fontana's Concetto spaziale from 1951, the only work on paper in the collection, wonderfully demonstrates the initial findings of the artist's Spazialismo ideology as he establishes the idea of depth simply with colour rather than by physically breaking through the surface. Similarly, the diagonal 'slashes' of colour attest a strong relationship to works of the Tagli series, underscored by the colours used. The void is cleverly represented through the dark spots on the paper, allowing the viewer to feel true, remarkable depth. The work gains its strikingness not only by being the only polychromatic work in the collection, but through its clear inspiration by Fontana's buchi series – the radical penetration of the canvas, which he began just two years prior to the execution of the present work.
Ugo Mulas, Italian photographer and friend of Fontana recalls the artist's explanation of his process: "sometimes I leave the canvas hinging there for weeks before being sure what I'm going to do with it and only when I feel sure, do I start" (Ugo Mulas in Germano Celant, Lucio Fontana Ambienti Spaziali: Architecture Art Environments, Milan 2012, p. 318). Concetto Spaziale, Attese, clearly demonstrate the artist's curated thought process behind his compositions, giving us a possible insight to the title 'Attese', meaning 'the wait'. The grey Concetto Spaziale, Attese from 1966 manages to evoke the same intensity through the minimalist feel of the cool tone alongside five slashes on the canvas. The outer, almost vertical slashes create a sense of unity to the three diagonal central ones, demonstrating Fontana's undeniable skill and the artist's increased control in this later work of the series.
Cratere from 1968 employs an entirely different artistic approach, to Fontana's ground-breaking conceptual idea of the modernist period. A work which goes beyond the use of the canvas, Cratere demonstrates 'the pain of man in space', through the highly expressed contrast of the shimmering gold versus the darkness of the hole (Lucio Fontana in: E. Crispoltu (ed.), Lucio Fontana exh. Rome 1998, p. 244). A beautifully composed work, with calming tones yet strong underlaying significances, this work treats the unknown space as an object in itself, allowing the viewer to gaze into the dark yet sensual void.
Assembled with a very discerning eye, this collection attests to Fontana's hugely important and influential position as one of the Twentieth Century's most revolutionary artists. With works held in museum collections around the world, including the Tate collection in London, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome, it is a privilege to offer such a broad collection of works in their auction debut. Containing a rarely seen before combination of colour, texture, depth, philosophy and scientific precision, this collection is an abstract investigation to the boundaries of modern art, done so with compositional superiority. These unmissable works mark a defined path in which the exploration of infinite space and void are deeply celebrated.Read MoreAdditional informationAuction informationBuyers' ObligationsALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest customer services team.Buyers' Premium and ChargesFor all Sales categories, buyer's premium excluding Cars, Motorbikes, Wine, Whisky and Coin & Medal sales, will be as follows: Buyer's Premium Rates
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