In some ways, it constitutes his spiritual testament, with its clear link between his earlier Futurist painting and his later abstract works. The still life was a form to which Severini returned frequently, with the same subject being tackled in various ways; in this, he was adopting a cultural habit derived from Impressionist painting. It sold for €82,000 (£52,560), just slightly more than the €81,000 (£51,920) paid for his Harlequin and Pulcinella in a room, dated 1943, and which superficially seems to owe more to De Chirico.
De Chirico was himself represented in this sale with a view of Madonna della Salute, Venice seen from the Accademia bridge, which realised €74,000 (£47,440). Overall, the auctioneers found buyers for around two thirds of the lots for a total of around €3.1m (just short of £2m). As ever, paintings new to market from private vendors attracted much attention; the auction included three private collections, which found buyers for 92 per cent of their material. Among these was Grande Legno M by Alberto Burri, bought directly from the artist in 1958 and exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1960. This fairly large work, measuring 5ft 1in x 8ft 3in (1.56 x 2.54m) comprised planks and bits of wood abutted next to each other, the odd patch of acrylic paint and some burn marks applied with an oxyacetylene flame. It sold just under the lower end of its €300,000-400,000 estimate at €290,000 (£185,900).
Severini’s last oil painting sold in Rome
Gino Severini’s Les objets deviennent peinture (vase bleu et maïs) was one of the most significant lots in Christie’s 310-lot auction of Contemporary art in Rome on December 18. Dating from 1965, this picture was the last oil still life he was to paint and, indeed, one of the last works to be finished before his death.
