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All auctions / Contemporary Art / Gualtiero Nativi (1921-1999) - Senza titolo - Metallo inciso a bulino
Gualtiero Nativi - Untitled (ST) - Engraved metal by burin - 1983 DETAILS OF THE WORK Artist: Gualtiero Nativi (Italy) Title of the work: "Untitled" (ST) Era: 1983 Technique and materials: Metal engraved with burin. Signature: Unique work. Signed and dated on the back by the artist. Dimensions: 23 x 16 cm (work) | 38 x 33 cm (with frame). Condition: Good. No structural defects (the photographs are an integral part of the description). DOCUMENTATION Archive certificate from the Nativi Archive prepared by Berto Nativi (the work is regularly registered with the Nativi Archive). Certificate of authenticity prepared by Galleria d'Arte Piero Della Francesca. Photocopy of the publication. EXHIBITIONS "Selected Works 1-31.11 2025", Galleria d'Arte Piero Della Francesca, Arezzo. PUBLICATIONS Catalogue of the exhibition "Selected Works 1-31.11 2025", Galleria d'Arte Piero Della Francesca, Arezzo. Please note that the catalogue is NOT included in the sale. Only a photocopy will be attached. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK We offer at auction a refined piece from 1983 by Gualtiero Nativi, a master of Italian abstraction and founder of movements fundamental to postwar contemporary art. The work, a fine metal engraving by burin, represents a perfect synthesis of the author's rigorous formal investigation. Through the precision of the engraved mark directly on the metallic surface, Nativi explores geometric decomposition and the modular construction close to him. Light glides over the rigid surface creating vibrant contrasts and dynamic tensions, offering the viewer a perception of rhythm and space in constant change. This is a collectible piece of great elegance and historical-critical significance, ideal for connoisseurs of Italian geometric abstraction. Its value is guaranteed by official archiving at the Nativi Archive, in addition to having the back signature and date and a prestigious exhibition history. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND CRITICISM ABOUT THE ARTIST Gualtiero Nativi was born in Pistoia in 1921 and trained in a cultural context that after World War II was strongly marked by the search for new syntheses between abstraction and compositional order. His early non-representational paintings, dated 1947, still show traces of Neocubist inflections, but hint at a move toward a more rigorous and structured language. Even at this early stage, the interest in geometric decomposition and modular construction emerges, which would become constant elements of his poetics. In 1948 Nativi founded, together with the Florentine abstract painters Berti, Monnini and Brunetti, the group Arte d’Oggi, a project aimed at promoting and spreading abstract painting in Italy through a series of group exhibitions. The exhibitions organized by the group mark Nativi's entry into the national artistic debate: in February 1949 the group exhibited at Libreria Salto in Florence, while in June of the same year the International Exhibition “Arte Oggi,” at La Strozzina in Florence, brought together Florentine, Roman, and MAC members, fostering a fruitful confrontation between the different experiences of Italian abstraction. In 1950 Nativi participated in drafting the Abstract and Concrete Manifesto in collaboration with Monnini, Berti, Brunetti, Nuti and the critic G. Migliorini. The manifesto established a clear orientation toward a rigorous geometric purism, as an alternative to lyrical outcomes or more subjective matrices of abstraction, defining the formal coordinates of a coherent poetics aware of its historical position. From this moment on, Nativi's works are characterized by compositional fragmentation into rectangles and modules that dialogue with each other, creating vibrant contrasts and dynamic tensions, testimony to ongoing research on rhythm and spatiality of the painted surface. In 1951 he participated in the exhibition “Abstract and Concrete Art in Italy” at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, joining the Art Club and taking part in six group exhibitions. In 1953 he became an active member of Groupe Espace, an international network of artists and architects promoting dialogue between art, urban space, and architecture, confirming Nativi’s vocation for a painting that dialogues with the broader context of the visual experience. In 1958 he exhibited at the Galleria La Salita in Rome and participated in numerous editions of the Rome Quadriennale, consolidating his role in the national art scene. In the 1960s and 1970s, his research matured: the compositions, based on geometric and color elements, are arranged in an equilibrium suspended between formal rigor and visual vibration, testifying to the artist’s ability to merge discipline and vitality. His painting, while rooted in geometric formalism, does not renounce inner energy that gives it dynamism and perceptual depth. In this sense, Nativi represents an essential reference point for Italian abstraction of the second half of the twentieth century, capable of mediating between local experiences and international trends of concrete and spatial art, confirming a coherent pursuit of harmony, structure, and chromatic legibility. Nativi’s work, continually tested by confrontation with modernity and the tensions between form and color, testifies to a rigorous search attentive to visual balance and compositional organization, and constitutes a significant contribution to defining Italian abstraction in the second half of the twentieth century. SHIPPING AND PACKAGING Packaging: We guarantee professional, rigid, and custom-strengthened packaging designed to preserve the complete integrity of the canvas and frame during transit, protected from shocks and humidity. Courier: Tracked, fast, and secure shipping via express courier. Customs and Export (Extra-EU): For buyers residing outside the European Union, shipping may require the technical time necessary to obtain the Export License from MiC (Ministry of Culture). Any customs duties are borne by the buyer. Invoicing: Professional seller. The work will be accompanied by a fiscal receipt (or electronic invoice, available upon request by sending your details at the time of the lot’s adjudication).
Estimate:£342.84
To the auctionView all items fromCatawikiorContemporary Art
Estimate:
£342.84
1996 Australia 1/10 oz Gold Lunar Rat (Series I)
12/06/2017
£351.02
Est: £436.01
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