Mimmo Rotella

Delfino Collection, Milan

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1976

Tommaso Trini, Rotella, Milan 1974, n.p., illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. The tears, glue residue and folds in the paper are due to the technique and method of executive chosen by the artist.
"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."

Paolo and Alida Giuli Collection, Lecco

Sotheby’s is honoured to present four works from the esteemed Paolo and Alida Giuli collection. Having bridged the gaps between gallerist, collector, tastemaker, and curator, Paolo Giuli is rightly considered one of the most important figures in twentieth-century Italian art. Motivated by extraordinary passion and creative verve, he immersed himself into the art of a variety of movements, dealing in turn with Arte Povera, the Pittura Oggetto group, Nouveau Réalisme, and of course ZERO. His artistic endeavours were marked by conceptual daring, an aesthetic eye, and an ability to identify the most significant or important works from any given artist’s oeuvre. Indeed, works from his collection have been exhibited in many of the most prestigious museums in the world: the Centres Georges Pompidou in Paris; the Museu d’Art Contemporani in Barcelona; the Whitechapel Gallery and the Tate Modern in London; and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The selection presented as follows are microcosmic of his extraordinary collection: as aesthetically impactful as they are contextually important. They are each appearing at auction for the first time and are each presented with immaculate provenance, often having been acquired directly from the artist.

Giuli’s engagement with the Italian avant-garde began in Milan, after he was encouraged to move to the city by Lucio Fontana in 1965. At the time, the city was brimming with creative energy and had emerged as a global hub for the Nouveau Réalisme group. Giuli became particularly close with Mimmo Rotella, who is represented in the present selection of works by the stunning Partecipazione, an idiosyncratic collage that perfectly exemplifies Rotella’s preoccupations with advertising, glamour, and the silver screen. In the early ‘70s, Giuli moved north to Lecco, where he ran his eponymous gallery from 1972 until 1984. He presented prestigious solo exhibitions for artists such as François Morellet, Kenneth Noland, Agostino Bonalumi, and Enrico Castellani. Castellani is one of the most important artists in the Paolo and Alida Giuli collection, and was the subject of an exhibition in the collectors own home in the early 1990s. Fittingly he is represented here with Superficie Bianca, a grandiose example of this artists celebrated style that distils the manner in which the artist used oscillating effects of light and shade in order to transfix the viewer in mesmeric appreciation. Castellani’s importance within the collection is matched only by Alighiero Boetti – the king of post-war Italian conceptualism. Alternando da 1 a 100 was included in the seminal Game Plan exhibition, which toured the Tate and MoMA; it is an erudite work of dense philosophical concept, executed in Boetti’s idiosyncratic tapestry medium.

Where so many collections are formulated through transient taste and whimsy, the Paolo and Alida Giulia collection is characterised by commitment, erudition, and conceptual vigour. These works are united by a collector who immersed himself entirely into the contemporaneous cutting-edge and who individually influenced the course of the Italian avant-garde; their extraordinary quality is testament to his undying passion and discerning eye.