Christie’s “Thinking Italian Evening Auction” will take place during Frieze Week on October 4, 2019, and directly follows the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction. The auction will be led by Alberto Burri’s “Sacco” (1953, estimate: £3,000,000–5,000,000) a rare early example of the artist’s famed Sacchi, the iconic series that he began in 1950, and by an early steel work by Lucio Fontana that encapsulates the artist’s exploration of space, “Concetto spaziale” (1954, Estimate on Request).
“Art for Future, Selected Works from the UniCredit Group” will be presented across both evening auctions, with Enrico Castellani and Giuseppe Gallo starring in “Thinking Italian.” Mario Schifano’s oeuvre during the 1960s was defined by the artist’s experimentation as he sought to carve out his indefatigable style. This decade of his career is represented by “Non misterioso” (1961, estimate: £300,000–500,000) and “Paesaggio anemico III” (1965, estimate: £350,000–500,000). There will be 33 works included in “Thinking Italian,” which will be on view in London through October 4, 2019, including the following:
Alighiero Boetti (1940–1994), “Ammazzare il tempo”
Estimate: GBP 650,000 – GBP 850,000 (USD 809,250 – USD 1,058,250) (i): signed, titled, inscribed, and dated ‘alighiero e boetti 1978 NOVE “AMMAZZARE IL TEMPO” INSEPARABILI’ (on the overlap), embroidery on canvas, in nine parts, each: 11¾ x 11¾ in. (30 x 30 cm) Executed in 1978
Mario Schifano (1934–1998), “Paesaggio anemico III,” Estimate: GBP 350,000 – GBP 500,000 (USD 436,100 – USD 623,000); signed, titled, and inscribed ‘Paesaggio anemico III Schifano GMarconi’ (on the reverse of each element), enamel and graphite on two joined canvases, overall: 78¾ x 86¼ in. (200 x 219 cm) Executed in 1965
Alberto Burri (1915–1995), “Sacco” Estimate: GBP 3,000,000 – GBP 5,000,000 (USD 3,738,000 – USD 6,230,000); signed and dated ‘BURRI 53’ (lower right), burlap, fabric, oil, gold and Vinavil on canvas, 39¼ x 33⅞ in. (99.8 x 86 cm) Executed in 1953
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