Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's… Read more

Christie’s is delighted to present an outstanding selection of works by Alighiero Boetti from an important private Roman collection. Spread across Post-War and Contemporary Art sales in London, Amsterdam, Milan and Paris throughout 2016 and 2017, the works boast an exceptional provenance: often acquired directly from the artist by one of his most trusted assistants, they have remained in the same private hands since their creation. Initially employed by Boetti to work on his celebrated biro series, the collector cultivated a close relationship with the artist, and over the course of twenty years assembled a carefully-curated snapshot of his oeuvre. Spanning three decades of his practice, the collection includes the widely-exhibited masterpiece Calendari, examples of his iconic Orologio Annuale, works from his Aerei series and a superb selection of his famous embroidered Arazzi. Christie’s is honoured to be offering these works at auction for the first time.This rich, dynamic collection was forged in the intensely creative atmosphere of the artist’s studio in Trastevere, the artistic heartland of Rome, where Boetti’s assistants would congregate to see and speak with the artist. Agata Boetti, the artist’s daughter, recalls in her memoir Agata Boetti: Il gioco dell’arte, the heady atmosphere of this place: ‘The studio was a very open-minded space, you could come in without any notice and stay as long as you wanted depending on the atmosphere and Alighiero’s mood. He famously disliked the trendy, mundane Roman parties. He rarely used to leave his studio, if you wanted to see him, you had to go there… Assistants came and consigned the completed works, or stayed and worked there to breathe that unusual creative air’ (A. Boetti, Agata Boetti: Il gioco dell’arte, Milan, 2016, p. 46). In this extraordinarily free and engaging artistic environment, Boetti’s assistants were exposed to all aspects of his multifaceted and varied output, witnessing the artist’s creative impulse as it manifested itself in each of its various forms. This remarkable first-hand experience granted the collector a unique understanding of Boetti’s working practice, allowing them to build a collection that provides an intimate view into the artist’s unique, dynamic oeuvre.PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ROMAN COLLECTION

Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994)

Attirare l'Attenzione (Attracting the Attention)

Details

Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994)
Attirare l'Attenzione (Attracting the Attention)
signed 'alighiero e boetti' (on the overlap)
embroidery on canvas
21.5 x 21.5cm.
Executed in 1988

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist.
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Special notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.

Further details

This work is registered in the Archivio Alighiero Boetti, Rome, under no. 2879 and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Brought to you by

Lisa Snijders

lsnijders@christies.com +31205755957

Attirare l'Attenzione (Attracting the Attention)

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