Alighiero Boetti

Opera acquisita dall'attuale proprietario direttamente dall'artista nel 1982

Jean-Christophe Amman, Alighiero Boetti Catalogo Generale Tomo Terzo/1 Mappe, Grandi ricami, Biro, Aerei 1980-1987, Milano 2015, p. 149, n. 1369, illustrato a colori

This work appears to be in generally good overall condition. The two cardboard are lightly yellowed, the right one slightly more than the left one. Along the lower left edge and by the lower right corner there is minor retouching. There are some tiny losses along the lower margin and along the upper left edge. There are some yellowed traces probably of glue along the vertical junction between the two cardboards. Upper left and towards the centre upwards are visible the characteristic light wrinkles inherent to the artist's choice of media. There is a trace of dirt towards the centre of the left cardboard.
"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."

Facendo mio uno splendido vocabolo introdotto da Ernst Junger, chiamo questo viaggiatore attraverso gli spazi della psiche, questo nomade visionario, "psiconauta", in cui il corpo-strumento dell'astronauta, proiettato nel cosmo, ha ceduto il posto al corpo-coscienza, al corpo-sismografo. Mentre il primo, nella cabina pressurizzata, realizza sul piano di un reale compimento la dilatazione quantitativa nello spazio e il salto nel di fuori; il secondo, puntando sull'esperienza, compie in una specie di volo alla cieca un tentativo di adattamento psico-sensoriale alla nuova collocazione dell'uomo in seno all'universo.

Borrowing a word first introduced by Ernst Junger, I call this explorer of psychological spaces, this visionary nomad- a “pscyhonaut”, whereby the astronaut’s body-instrument, projected into the cosmos, has given way to the body-consciousness, to the body-seismograph. While the first, in the pressurized cabin, brings to practical fruition a quantitative dilation in space and leap into the beyond, the latter, by focusing on experience, operates a sort of blind flight, an attempt at a psycho-sensory adjustment to man’s new placement within the universe.

Alberto Boatto, Lo Sguardo dal di fuori. Nuove Frontiere dello spazio e dell'immaginazione, 1981

Ciò che permane sono le qualità formali di questa opera, dove la massima semplicità associata alla massima complessità mette capo alla leggerezza e alla “non curante” disinvoltura di Boetti. 
Tuttavia Boetti ha bisogno della costrizione della regola per far risaltare in pieno
tutta la sua leggerezza”

The lasting aspects of this work are its formal qualities, in which utter-simplicity, coupled with the greatest complexity, generate Boetti’s levity and “nonchalant” ease. However, Boetti needs the restraint of the rule to fully emphasize all its levity.

Alberto Boatto, Alighiero & Boetti, 1984