LUCIO FONTANA | Concetto Spaziale, Attese

Galleria d'Arte Malborough, Rome
Galleria Giraldi, Livourne
Private Collection, London
Collection Vittoria Kokia, Milan
Sotheby's, London, Contemporary Art, 22 October 1987, lot 551 (consigned by the above)
Galerie Neuendorf, Hambourg (acquired from the above sale)
Private Collection, Europe
Sotheby's, London, Contemporary Art, 23 October 2001, lot 471
Acquis lors de cette vente par le propriétaire actuel

Frankfurt, Galerie Neuendorf, Lucio Fontana. 60 Werke aus den Jahren 1938 bis 1966, 1987-1988; catalogue, no. 49, illustrated in colour, np. 
Frankfurt, Galerie Neuendorf, Lagerkatalog 1988, 1988, no. 13, illustrated in colour
New York, Panicali Fine Art, Lucio Fontana Works, 1958-1965, 1988; catalogue, no. 12, illustrated in colour, np.

Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana. Catalogo ragionato di sculture, dipinti, ambientazioni, Tomo II, Milan, 2006, p. 892, n. 68 T 137, illustré

Please refer to the Contemporary Art Department for a professional condition report (joelle.koops@sothebys.com).
"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."

Epitome of flawlessness, if only for the three tagli ripping the canvas through, emblem of the Italian artist which polymorphic work greatly contributed to redefining art in the 20^th century, this piece from a private European collection is a beautiful expression of modernity. By leaving his signature tear three times on the canvas, Fontana asserts the minimalist and radical nature of his artistic approach. Executed in 1968, this work clearly illustrates the materialist and spiritualist quest of the artist who claimed the entire space as his field of research. Fontana used monochrome from the start of his career, with a preference for white, which he considered the "purest, least complicated" and "most understandable" medium to express his vision of "pure, spatial and cosmic philosophy" (Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana, Catalogue Raisonné des Peintures et Environnements Spatiaux, Volume I, Brussels, 1974, page 137).

With very few resources involved and empty space used as a structural element, Concetto Spaziale, Attese is indicative of the theories the artist put forward in his 1946 Manifesto Blanco, which laid the foundations of spatial art and announced his second manifesto.

Both a theoretician and a fine artist, Fontana blurred the lines between traditional genres and broke with "easel painting" in order to synthetize "color, sound, movement and space" by "giving idea and movement precedence over matter". It is through quintessential pieces like the outstanding Concetto Spaziale, Attese that he paved the way for a long line of artists, among which the very avant-garde ZERO group and the Arte Povera movement, of which he appears to be the spiritual father. 

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I choose white because it is the purest of all the colours.
Lucio Fontana