Share this page
First chance for art collectors to own Alighiero E Boetti's $2.9m 1984
The large work is expected to prove a hit with contemporary art lovers at Bonhams' October auction
A large work by one of the most influential 20th century Italian artists will feature at Bonhams' contemporary art department's inaugural sale on October 13, 2011 in London.
Attracting a pre-sale estimate of £1.2m to £1.8m Alighiero E Boetti's 1984 comprises 192 intricate pencil drawings of magazine covers published in 1984.
Composed of 12 panels, each documenting a month of the year, it is the first time this work has appeared at auction.
Boetti was a key member of the Arte Povera group of young Italian artists in the late 1960s which worked in radically new ways using simple and everyday materials.
 Boetti's 1984 couild make £1.8m |
While Boetti is most famous for his series of large embroidered maps of the world, Mappa, he is also renowned for his pop art in which he used stamps, pens and magazine covers.
During his lifetime Boetti enjoyed both commercial and critical success and was the subject of a number of exhibitions.
His first solo show was in 1967 at the Turin gallery of Christian Stein and later that year he participated in an exhibition at Galleria La Beriesca in Genoa. He continued to exhibit throughout Italy and the US until his death in 1994.
Boetti's 1990 work La Forza del Centro made £9,600 at Bonhams in 2009.
The creation of a contemporary art department at Bonhams is further evidence of the growing popularity for this genre among collectors, who are looking for pieces that could be of real value in years to come.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will bring you further previews from the sale over the coming weeks and all the main results.
- Click here to view our Art & Photography stock items for sale
- Learn how you can get pleasure and profit by investing in contemporary art
- Read all the latest Art & Photography news
Join our readers in over 200 countries around the world - sign up for your free weekly Collectibles Newsletter today or download our free Collectors News app for your iPhone
Recent and related articles...
· George Stubbs' fine thoroughbred painting could race to $48m at Christie's| 4 July 2011
Famed for his horse depictions, he is just one of the Old Masters on show...
· Old Masters prove vitality in $10.9m art sale at Sotheby's Paris | 1 July 2011
The auction house's final event of the season was a hit with the bidders...
· Sotheby's breaks its own contemporary art sale record with $172m auction| 30 June 2011
Last night's brilliant event set a new standard for the rest of the art world
· Francis Bacon's moody painting brings home $28m at Christie's | 30 June 2011
His dark 1953 work, Study of a Portrait, was just one of the brilliant works that sold
· Basquiat $3.4m self-portrait kicks off big week for London's art markets | 28 June 2011
This piece by the Warhol-endorsed American artist was part of Phillips de Pury's contemporary sale
www.paulfrasercollectibles.com
Image: Bonhams
