(Rome 1914–1998)
Il Presente, 1957, signed and dated, signed, titled and dated on the reverse, vinyl on canvas, 90 x 136 cm, framed

This work is registered in the Fondazione Toti Scialoja, Rome and is accompanied by a photo certificate of authenticity

Provenance:
Sale, Farsetti Arte Prato, 30 May 1998, lot 304
Galleria Bonioni Arte, Reggio Emilia
European Private Collection (acquired from the above by the present owner)

Dorotheum is delighted to present an extraordinary collection of artworks from a major Italian private collection.

This selection offers a truly compelling insight into the manifold developments of contemporary art, spanning a broad time period from the 1950s to the present day.

On the one hand, we are immersed in the kaleidoscopic atmosphere of abstract art: a world steeped in the currents of Art Informel and Abstract Expressionism. Masterpieces by the likes of Paul Jenkins, Conrad Marca-Relli and Toti Scialoja transport us beyond the boundaries of the visible, capturing the pure essence of emotion and form.

On the other hand, this collection takes us on a journey through the evolution of popular culture, capturing the vibrant pulse of the modern world. The primordial energy of Schifano, the creative genius of Rotella, the embodied provocation of Allen Jones' work and the iconic nature of Indiana blend harmoniously with the explosive expression of Keith Haring's American graffiti art. These works compose a compelling narrative of a culture in perpetual change, reflecting the social, political and cultural transformations that have characterised our contemporary world.

Finally, the changing and evocative voices of more contemporary artists such as Julian Opie, Philip Taaffe and Manolo Valdès emerge as an unexpected epilogue to this artistic narrative. Their works address the challenges and questions of our time, offering a new and bold perspective on what the future holds for art and society

“Two kinds of light have always drawn me.
The light of Georges de La Tour, which seems to radiate from
the painting and that reflected light which was most evident
in Turner’s imagination. From these two sources – reflection
and radiation – I have tried to achieve a kind of form in its own
discovered space, a kind of light which reveals itself from within, while the reflected element affirms itself from without.”
Paul Jenkins quoted by Albert E. Elsen in Paul Jenkins, Harry N. Abrams, NY 1973