Pier Paolo Calzolari - 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale London Monday, February 8, 2016 | Phillips

20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London Auction 9 February 2016 7pm

  • Provenance

    Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    Ice, leaves, salt and lead are only some of the materials that form the artistic universe of Pier Paolo Calzolari, one of the early members of the Arte Povera movement. Ranging from painting, to sculpture, to installation, Calzolari has produced an insatiable body of works, which makes the artist difficult to categorise. The materials he uses are meant to change with time; in his works there is always a sense of the past but also a hint of the future, a reminder toward the aspect of change that affects us all.

    Untitled, 1972, belongs to the group of works that the artist defined ‘sculpted paintings’. Unlike his contemporaries, Calzolari rejected the use of painting and created compositions that combined sculptural and pictorial elements. Untitled is a brilliant composition with organic and inorganic materials, which place it in between the two-dimensionality of the monochrome and the three-dimensionality of a sculpture, given in this case by the oil lamp, evocative of the passage of time. The use of salt causes the second half of the work to turn bright white resulting in a pure tone, reminiscent of Venice, which he visited as a young man. When the sun light hit the marble walls along the Riva degli Schiavoni, the artist saw a colour he felt would be wrong not to attempt to replicate in paint. When looking at Untitled, 1972, one feels part of it. Presence of time is an essential component of the work, which conveys a tangible representation of what existence is all about.

15

Pier Paolo Calzolari

Untitled

1972
lead, salt, iron, glass and oil lamps
106 x 77.5 x 10.2 cm (41 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 4 in.)
This work is registered with the Fondazione Calzolari, under number A-CAL-1972-44.

Estimate
£150,000 - 200,000 ♠

Sold for £182,500

Contact Specialist
Peter Sumner
Head of Contemporary Art, London

+44 207 318 4063

20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London Auction 9 February 2016 7pm