Affortunato Gori

Overall the condition of the marble is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are light dirt marks to the drapery at the front and at the back, and to the top of the rock work at the back. A section of the bottom drape at the front has been reattached and one of its corners is lost. There is a loss to one of the toes on the proper left foot. There are a few minor scratches, including to the proper left elbow. There are a few small chips and abrasions, including to the leaves, the hair, and the proper left hand. There are a few naturally occurring inclusions in the marble, notably to the proper left wrist. The marble base is in good condition with minor chips and abrasions to the edges.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Museu Europeu d'Art Modern, Barcelona (MEAM)

The Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (European Museum of Modern Art) is one of Barcelona’s hidden gems, situated in an elegant 18^th-century palace in the heart of the city’s old town, El Born. Founded for the promotion of 20^th and 21^st-century figurative sculpture and painting, the museum houses an outstanding and growing collection of contemporary art. Each year it hosts the Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Awards, which brings together representations of the human form by contemporary artists from across the globe.

The following lots are a carefully curated selection of highlights from the Museum’s collection of 19^thand 20^th-century sculpture. Prominent amongst them is a series of elegant Classicising and Romantic marbles, led by Paul-Jean-Baptiste Gasq’s The Kiss (lot 138) and Giuseppe Gambogi’s Three Nymphs on a Rock (lot 128). These works evidence the belle époque fascination with the idealised human form, combined with wistful and sometimes exotic subjects. Historicism is represented in the striking and dynamic form of Victorien Tournier’s Le Guet (The Watch) (lot 136). Dalou’s figures of workers (lots 143-145) meanwhile evidence the contrasting interest in social and genre subjects around the turn of the century. In Auguste-Henri Carli’s Young Woman Playing Pipes (lot 142) we can observe a classicising nude with bucolic overtones, themes which concerned European sculptors throughout the first three decades of the 20^th century. The influence of Rodin is felt in numerous of the sculptures, but particularly Alfredo Pina’s male nudes (lots 133-134).

The divergent movement towards a modernist aesthetic is witnessed in Charles Despiau’s magnificent Apollo. Despiau was one of a number of leading students of Rodin, who sought a new route for sculpture in contrast to his master’s expressive style. The Apollo is a quintessentially 1930’s figure, a rare bronze cast from Despiau’s original model, which was designed to stand in watch over the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, inaugurated in 1937. With its totemic pose and simplified physiognomy, the Apollo is a simultaneously classical and modern figure. Other works in a modernist style include Milly Steger’s Naiad and Fritz Klimsch’s Nostalgia.

Each of the sculptures in the catalogue were exhibited in Una mica d’escultura, si us plau! L’escultura europea del segle XX at MEAM, a dedicated exhibition of the Museum’s collection of European 19^thand 20^th-century sculpture.