- 191
Enrico Castellani
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Enrico Castellani
- Superficie Bianca
- signed, titled and dated 2003 on the overlap
- acrylic on shaped canvas
- 39 3/8 by 39 3/8 in. 100 by 100 cm.
- Executed in 2003, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Archivio Castellani, Milan.
Provenance
Galleria Extra Moenia, Todi
Galleria Seno, Milan
Private Collection, Italy
Christie's, London, February 17, 2011, lot 111
Galerie Sho Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Acquired by the present owner from the above
Galleria Seno, Milan
Private Collection, Italy
Christie's, London, February 17, 2011, lot 111
Galerie Sho Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Acquired by the present owner from the above
Exhibited
Todi, Galleria Extra Moenia, Ritualità monocrome, 2003-2004, cat. no. 2, n.p., illustrated
Condition
This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of very minor wear to the edges and corners and several extremely light and unobtrusive spot accretions visible under close inspection. There is one faint 1 inch accretion along the right edge, approximately 10 inches from the bottom. Framed in a Plexiglas box. Not examined out of the frame.
*Please note the auction begins at 9:30 am on November 14th.*
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
In the present work, Superficie Bianca from 2003, Castellani's signature use of shaped canvases and protuberance is combined with a masterful employment of light, which the artist utilizes as part of the media. Composed of a brilliant white surface which has been imbued with a sensation of movement through the regular shaping of the canvas, the current lot reveals the complexity of Castellani’s technique: using a nail gun, the artist creates an undulating canvas that ripples elegantly within the space it occupies. The result is a work that combines clarity of form with a highly innovative utilisation of a two dimensional plane to appropriate an almost sculptural language.
As observed by Germano Celant: "Light illuminates the reliefs, creates shadows and reflections, flattens and highlights the surfaces, and thus confers existence on the painting. Therefore Castellani could not fail to gradually approach its splendour through the use of the absolute colour white, which radiates, slides across and unifies the surface and at the same time functions as a register of total freedom." (Germano Celant cited in: Exh. Cat., Milan, Fondazione Prada, Enrico Castellani, 2001, p. 17).
As observed by Germano Celant: "Light illuminates the reliefs, creates shadows and reflections, flattens and highlights the surfaces, and thus confers existence on the painting. Therefore Castellani could not fail to gradually approach its splendour through the use of the absolute colour white, which radiates, slides across and unifies the surface and at the same time functions as a register of total freedom." (Germano Celant cited in: Exh. Cat., Milan, Fondazione Prada, Enrico Castellani, 2001, p. 17).
A contemporary of Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni, Enrico Castellani has been a leading voice of the Azimuth Group in Milan and one the most important and recognized Italian artists. With his renowned breakthrough Superfici, Castellani developed the aesthetic canons introduced by Art Informel and explored the discourse that later headed towards Conceptual and Minimal art.