Article translated by Amritee Mahabir

The auction that will take place by Sotheby’s in Milan on April 8^th is an unmissable date for all art lovers and collectors of contemporary art. The works that will go on show come from a private collection composed of about 150 pieces dating from 1953 onwards. This collection is particular because of two different sentiments: great attention to Italian artists but also constant interest in the international artistic scene. Among the most significant Italian artists to be presented are Alighiero Boetti, Enrico Castellani, Carla Accardi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Giuseppe Uncini, Agostino Bonalumi, Salvatore Scarpitta, Gino de Dominicis, Afro, Matta, Claudio Parmiggiani, Mario Schifano, Mimmo Paladino, Gilberto Zorio and Mimmo Rotella.

Alighiero Boetti is the Italian artist who received the highest evaluation by the experts of the auction house. His artistic exchanges have become ever more intense in the last few months. His tapestries and embroideries as well as his works on paper are put on exhibit whether in Italy, Milan (Sotheby’s) and Vercelli (Meeting Art), or on the international market in Paris (Cornette de Saint Cyr and Artcurial) and New York (Sotheby’s and Christie’s). The artist achieved the highest prices in 2005/2006 when different auction houses made sales exceeding 200,000 euros. The record for a Boetti work dates back to October 2005 when Christie’s sold his tapestry Tutto in 1988 for 200,000 pounds (estimated at 140/180,000). Among works to be presented at Sotheby’s on April 8^th are a tapestry entitled Senza Titolo (Untitled) from 1989 (estimated at 100/150,000 euros) and Svelare e Rivelare (Unveiling and Revealing) (pen on paper from 1982, estimated at 60/80,000 euros).

Superficie Bianca by Enrico Castellani will be much appreciated, executed in 1985 (estimated at 80/100,000 euros). Just one year ago the artist achieved his record sale at auction with Superficie bianca, Ricomposizione indolore of 1971. The work went under the hammer in London Christie’s for 380,000 pounds in contrast to its estimate of 100-150,000 pounds.

Another Italian artist represented in the collection is Carla Accardi. Also for this artist market movements in the last few months have been notable. Only in the first months of 2008, out of the overall 18 works put on exhibit, three already sold for a total sum exceeding 150,000 euros. Accardi’s record was in November last year with the work Rossoturchese from 1963 sold by Sotheby’s in Milan for 96,250 euros (estimated at 80-100,000 euros). Among works that the auction house will propose next month on April 8^th, is Diagonale oroblu from 1976 (estimated at 70/90,000 euros) and Verderosso of 1963 (estimated at 60/80,000 euros). The serigraphy by Michelangelo Pistoletto, Violinista - Dettaglio n. 2 is also included in the lots categorised under Italian authors. The work, executed in 1962-’77 will be presented at auction at an estimate of 60/80,000 euros. Violinista is imprinted onto polished mirrored steel and like other works by the author, it represents not only the ideal of a perfect subjective image, capable of replicating reality but is also dynamic, and mobile in a fixed moment, yet at the same time becomes changeable.

The display however doesn’t leave out important international artists such as Jannis Kounellis, Kenneth Noland, Chen Zhen, Vik Muniz, Peter Halley, Jason Martin, and Wifredo Lam. The most important lot of the evening could be the work Untitled by Kounellis of 2003, that is being presented at a higher value by the organisers (120/180,000 euros). Kounellis is regarded as a conceptualist able to realise his works in an expressionist style and it is exactly this which distinguishes him from other conceptualists.

The auction will present another vast selection of emerging artists like Stefano Arienti whose work Senza titolo (Van Gogh) will be presented estimated at 13/18,000 euros. Other emerging Italian artists are Pietro Capogrosso, Bruno Ceccobelli, Gianni Dessì, Eva Marisaldi and Velasco. The following foreign artists will also be presented: Nan Goldin, Ghada Amer, Karin Andersen, Bram Bogart, James Brown, Buell, George Lilanga, Jason Martin and Christian Ward.