Mario Schifano

Studio Marconi, Milano
Studio Gariboldi, Milano
Milano, Asta Sotheby's, 21 novembre 2006

Milano, Fondazione Marconi, Schifano. 1964-1970. Dal paesaggio alla TV, 2006, p. 107, illustrato a colori

This work appears to be in generally good overall condition. Colours tonality is slightly warmer compared to the catalogue illustration and fails in rendering the brilliance of the silvery areas. There is an isolated craquelure in the white enamel area in the centre of the surface. There are tiny losses in the letters that write "Schifano" in the centre of the lower margin. There are two small nails underneath the canvas next to the upper right angle and two minor retouches towards the centre of the right margin of the surface.
"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."

(…) La mostra milanese di Schifano permette a chi ha tenuto d’occhio il pittore, di coglierlo ora nel momento in cui, placati certi furori, è nella fase della confidenza, della partecipazione affettuosa a quanto il mondo gli mette sotto agli occhi. Ho detto poco prima che Schifano ha un mondo elegiaco. Lo vedi in questi suoi “boschi”, soprattutto in queste sue “finestre” (anche se le chiama con un’inversione tipica del senso amoroso, suicidio) aperte contro il cielo chiaro, quasi bianco di luce, con i contorni eleganti dei balconcini di ferro e delle piante grasse: motivi che si ritrovano in Matisse; ma qui assunti non come sigle di stile, ma di una nuova scoperta del mondo; anche se poi per un’improvvisa traversa d’ombra e di interna inquietitudine, sorgono dentro questi “paesaggi” condivisi, segni che non dirò di sprezzo, ma quasi un’impennata del pudore per non tradire la radice tenera del sentimento (…)

(..) The Schifano Milanese exhibition allows the viewer, who has constantly followed this artist’s work, to notice this artistic phase focused on confidence and an affectionate participation in the world that surrounds him. As mentioned earlier there is an elegiac aspect of Schifano’s work that is accentuated in his “woods” and in his “windows” (that he renames in a typically romantic inversion “suicides”) open towards the bright sky, almost white, with elegant outlined balconies in iron and exotic plants: motives that bring the viewer back to Matisse’s work; here absorbed as stylistic acronyms, and also as a new discovery of the world; even if for a sudden crossing of a shade or an interior restlessness these shared landscapes show signs that I will not mention, the tenderness of the artist’s feelings clearly transpire from these works.

Marco Valsecchi, Schifano. Un pittore cresciuto in soli cinque anni, in Il Giorno, 31 dicembre 1965