Lot 129
  • 129

Alfredo Pina

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Alfredo Pina
  • the kiss
  • signed: A Pina and stamped: NOV FONDEUR CIRE PERDUE and twice: FRANCE and numbered: 1
  • bronze, dark brown-green patina

Condition

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good with some minor wear to the patina consistent with age.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Born in Milan and educated at the Accademia di Brera, Pina won the national Grand Prize for sculpture in 1906 but soon after opted to move to Paris. The primary reason for his relocation was the influence of Auguste Rodin, whose powerful sense of fluid form deeply influenced Pina's aesthetic. In the years preceding the First World War, Pina exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, the Tuileries and the Salon d'Automne, where he was a member of the jury from 1911. During this time, he mixed in the artistic circles of Montparnasse, frequenting Marie Vassilieff's atelier and artists cantine, and being famously attacked by Modigliani at a banquet given for Braque during the war. The argument was a result of his relationship with Beatrice Hastings, with whom Modigliani was living.

After the war, Pina began exhibiting at the Salon des Indépendants and achieved commercial success in collaboration with Valsuani, who cast many of his figurative models and busts. The sculptor nonetheless remained in contact with his native Italy and participated in the Venice Biennale's of 1920 and 1922.

Pina's Kiss owes a clear visual debt to the sculpture of the same subject carved by his hero, Rodin, in 1889.

RELATED LITERATURE
Gaston de Pawlowski, Alfredo Pina, Paris 1929, p.29, plate 9