LONDON.- Christie’s announced the forthcoming sale of BUONO DI STAMPA: Prints from the Archive of Stamperia d‟Arte 2RC to be held on Wednesday, 26 February in South Kensington. The 112 carefully selected works, which will be seen together for the first time, have been lovingly assembled over fifty years from the renowned studio of Stamperia d‟Arte 2RC, that was founded in 1959 by the Rossi family in Rome, Italy. These unique prints, are the bon à tirer impressions, that tell the intimate story of trust and collaboration between artist and printer and are amongst today’s most eminent artists, including Alberto Burri, Pierre Alechinsky, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Afro Basaldella, as well as Sam Francis, Henry Moore and Victor Pasmore, to name a few. Stamperia d‟Arte 2RC’s long established talent and enthusiasm for printmaking has resulted in innovative and exciting techniques of style and scale. This sale presents an exceptional opportunity for established and new collectors around the world to acquire these important works; with estimates ranging from £700 up to £15,000.
Valter Rossi, Founder of Stamperia d’Arte 2RC quoted: “I guess printmaking is in my DNA. For generations my family has been in the printmaking business, where I grew up in the workshop, watching the printers and typesetters at work and collecting wooden letters off the factory floor. Already as a boy, I had a keen interest in art; at the age of thirteen during a school trip to Paris I bought my first print - a Miró.”
The notable works featured, demonstrate an understanding of paper press and colouring, on many occasions pushing the boundaries of traditional printmaking techniques. A love of teaching, practice and above all the creation of beautiful things led the Rossi family to develop lifelong friendships with many of the artists whose works are offered within this sale.
Leading the collection is a remarkable etching, aquatint and embossing titled Cretti: H, 1971, by Italian artist Alberto Burri (1915-1995), who was at the forefront of Italian Post-War Art (estimate: £8,000-12,000). This unique work depicting a cracked surface - is the only white subject from the Cretti series and is part of the on-going response to the devastating earthquake that hit Sicily in 1968, resulting in the abandonment of the small town of Gibellina.
Victor Pasmore (1908-1998) is particularly well represented in the sale, which comprises a total of 14 works by the artist. The strength of the bond established between the artist and the studio in the late sixties is reflected by the title of one of his works Vigna Antoniniana, 1980 (estimate: £3,000-5,000), which was the name of the printing workshop, in Rome.
Le Stagioni: La pioggia d‟oro, 1984, is a monumental abstract work (estimate: £5,000-7,000) by American artist Sam Francis (1923-1994). The artist was an accomplished printmaker prior to his work with Stamperia d‟Arte 2RC however, responding to the artist’s frequent spells of illness, the Rossi’s developed portable presses that would allow Eleonora Rossi to bring all the necessary equipment to the artist in California. Other prints by Francis, including Senza Titolo I and Untitled Yellow were completed after the birth of his youngest child, Augustus, which show an intense explosion of joy embodied in vibrant colour.
