MILAN, ITALY.- Sotheby’s Milan will hold an auction at the Palazzo Broggi on November 21 at 10.30 a.m., 3.30 p.m and 7 p.m. Exhibition: Palazzo Broggi, via Broggi 19, from Friday 17 to Monday, 20 November 2006, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Cover of this Milanese catalogue is a rare copper by Lucio Fontana from the same series of the Guggenheim recent exhibitions held in Venice and New York. This “Concetto Spaziale”, cm.91x54, 1962-63, has an estimate of 200.000-300.000 euro. In the catalogue there are two works by Fontana coming from the famous Betty Barman Collection of Bruxelles: both executed in 1960, the second is valued 80-120.000 euro. Reminding the Milan recent success of the group of Albisola ceramics by Lucio Fontana we will have a nice selected group of Fontana’s ceramics such as “Concetto Spaziale” dated 1964, diam. cm. 44, estimate € 40-50.000 or the beautiful “Gamba di tavolino”, dated 1949, ceramic grés, same estimate of the previous. From a private Swiss collection a huge and magnificent oil on canvas - highly considered by the scholars - by Enzo Cucchi, “Van Gogh’s chair”, 1984, cm. 260x340, valued 150- 200.000 euro.

Same dating for nice works by Nicola De Maria and Salvo (an interesting oil on canvas from the “Bar-series”, 1981, cm. 100x133, val. 20- 30.000 euro). From the Eric Clapton collection “Luglio” by Carlo Maria Mariani, pastels, chalks, applied on canvas, cm.233x197, est. €18- 22.000. Published on the “Archivi del Futurismo” and formerly in the Leonardo Mondadori collection, “Paesaggio – volo di rondini” by Giacomo Balla, signed “futur-balla” and dated 1918, a watercolour and ink on paper applied on canvas, cm.38x64; the subject is one of the central themes of Futurismo years and the estimate of this painting is 130- 180.000 €. Executed in 1927, another Balla in the sale: “Balfiore- Zinnie” is the only one which is signed “balla- futur” instead of “futurballa” and it has been exhibited at the London Royal Academy of Arts in 1972- 73. This work has a valuation of 130- 180.000€. Giorgio Morandi is included in this catalogue with two very important examples, a big “Paesaggio”, signed 1935, oil on canvas, cm. 54x60, one of the paintings exhibited at the “Mostra del Centenario” 1990, Galleria d’ Arte Moderna di Bologna (est. 350-450.000€) and “Paesaggio”, dated 1961, one of the last painting of the Paesaggio series realized in a very different style from the 1935 one; this canvas, cm. 40x40, is valuated 200-250.000€.

I would like to underline a small but sophisticated private collection, built up many years ago and focused on works dated from early 1900 to 1930; among them Atanasio Soldati ( “Composizione” signed and dated 1933, oil on canvas, cm. 65x80, est. € 50-60.000).

The most ancient piece of the sale is a Medardo Rosso: the first “Birichino-Gavroche”, made in terracotta dated 1881-82, cm. 35 high, valued € 80-100.000. Osvaldo Licini’s “Amalassunta numero 9” is one of his most interesting works: dated 1949, it is the first expression of Licini’s art after his willing poetic silence as reaction to the Second World War. The work is an oil on canvas, cm.20x25, exhibited in 1950 at the Venice Biennale and in 1959 at the Quadriennale of Rome (est. € 60-80.000). Emilio Vedova is in this catalogue with a great work, formerly in Count Panza di Biumo collection, Varese: “Trittico della Libertà”, oil on canvas, cm. 135x186, painted in 1950 exhibited in 1951 at the Venice Biennale and estimated 200-300.000€.

Piero Manzoni is celebrated in this Milanese sale with three of his “Achrome”: the first cotton batuffoletti (1961-62), the second plastic and caolyn (1961), the last one paper package, (1962): 60-80.000€ is the estimate for each work.