Study for Piazza d'Italia, pen, ink and pencil on paper, is a metaphysical work of great importance and is dated 1913; was purchased by Jan Krugier for his own private collection directly from Jean Paulhan, the famous French literary critic and publisher, as well as director of the French Nouvelle Revue.
The drawing boasts a highly significant exhibition itinerary starting from the Grand Palais of Paris, passing through the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, the Albertina in Vienna and the Kunsthalle in Munich. The work, which had an estimate of 41.800 – 54.000 euros in its catalogue, reached and exceeded one and a half million euros on the morning of February 6 in London thanks to a competition between numerous buyers.
In the same London auction it is also worth mentioning Self Portrait by Giorgio De Chirico, a magnificent pencil on paper from 1920, also widely exhibited, which from an estimate of 60.000 – 83.000 EUR was sold for 205.720 EUR.
Auctions that double the starting estimate, with a large participation of collectors for works on paper, one more reason to evaluate investments also in this area with works by great masters. It is a rather easy mechanism to understand, if the estimates of the main works of important authors are positioned too "high" to win the same author, it is necessary to pay attention to the works on paper, with the risk that the competition between collectors in wanting win the work… raise your starting estimate of the work itself.
Among the other interesting works of the Sotheby's London auction:
- Edgar Degas – AUTOPORTRAIT, VERS SA VINGT-ET-UNIÈME ANNÉE – Estimate 50,000-70,000 awarded at 674,991 EUR
- Pablo Picasso - TÊTE – Estimate 180,000-250,000 Allocated to 762,636 EUR
- Pablo Picasso – Etude de Visage – Estimate 70,000-90,000 Sold to 718,814 EUR
- Francisco De Goya – HUNTER AND HIS DOG ON THE ALERT – Estimate 300,000-400,000 Sold to 1,025,572 EUR
- Claude Monet - MEULE, SOLEIL COUCHANT – Estimate 100,000-150,000 Sold to 806,459 EUR
