translated by Giorgina Arcuri

On 27th May, Sotheby’s Milan housed “Modern and Contemporary Art”, a very interesting auction that totalled 12,368,680 euros. Of the 345 lots presented to the public in the saleroom, during the three rounds, the works of some great artists stood out, pieces that have marked the evolution of the history of Italian art, such as “Achrome” by Piero Manzoni (estimate 500-700 thousand euros, sold for 800 thousand euros, rights excluded) or a beautiful painting executed by Giuseppe Santomaso in 1959, which from a pre-sale estimate included between 120 and 180 thousand euros, achieved 110,000 euros (rights excluded), while another work from 1978, valued at 120-180 thousand euros, sold for 210,000 (rights excluded).
But of the 345 lots proposed by Sotheby’s, the real protagonist of the Milanese sale was Lucio Fontana, artist, painter and sculptor, recognized at international level as the founder of the spatialist movement.
Indeed, of Fontana’s 18 pieces auctioned, “Concetto Spaziale”, executed in 1955, set the top-price of “Modern and Contemporary Art”. This beautiful painting realized with a mixed technique and dominated by formless splodges and concentrations of matter, from an estimate of 500-700 thousand euros, sold for 1,320,250 euros.
A work of great aesthetic sophistication that expresses Fontana’s poetics, mainly dominated by the concept of space. As mentioned above, the artist is recognized worldwide as the founder of Spatialism, that is not a theory nor poetics of space, but a clear assertion that anything done consciously entails making space. He disproves radically every “representation” of space by means of traditional painting and sculpture. As a painter he tries to destroy painting: he spreads out the colour on the surface and then he “violates” it with one or more cuts. It is a gesture that tries to put the external space in communication with the internal space, the gesture that splits the painting reestablishes continuity between the space on this side and on that side of the surface.
Since 1949, by shattering the canvas with holes or cuts, Fontana went beyond the traditional distinction between painting and sculpture. Space stopped being an object of representation according to conventional perspective standards. The surface of the canvas came into direct relation with real space and light. His monochrome canvases bear the mark of the precise and secure gestures of the author who, letting go of his brushes, used razor blades.
During the auction other works by Lucio Fontana realized significant results. For instance “Concetto Spaziale” (oil, gashes and graffiti on canvas) executed in 1964, which presented with a valuation of 400-600 thousand euros sold for 536,250 euros.
Besides the work just mentioned, we must cite also a pure white canvas naturally gashed, entitled “Concetto Spaziale, Attesa”, which from an estimate included between 160 and 240 thousand euros achieved 300,250 euros, but also a water paint on canvas of a bright green colour with four slashes, which from an estimate of 250-350 thousand euros sold for 372,250 euros. Another work we must cite is “Concetto Spaziale, Attese” of a beautiful vivid red with just two cuts (estimate 300-400 thousand euros), sold for 456,250 euros.
Even the Milanese event proved how Lucio Fontana’s market is still solid. In recent times the artist has achieved extraordinary quotations on the most important markets of art economy. How could we forget the outstanding result achieved on 27th February 2008, when Sotheby’s London sold the work “Concetto Spaziale, la fine di Dio” for 10,324,500 pounds (estimate 4.5-5.5 million pounds), establishing the artist’s history record. In fact, Lucio Fontana’s market currently seems more lively than ever. From a brief analysis we can observe that since 1995 there have been 2,809 passages at auction of his works, with a sale percentage equivalent to 79%. Surely this top-price set at Sotheby’s Milan, entitled “Concetto Spaziale”, has marked a new sale record in Italy for Fontana, exceeding “Concetto Spaziale, Attesa” (1958/1960) sold on 18th December 2007 for 650 thousand euros, at the auction house Finarte in Milan.