The Final New York Auction of Sotheby's of 2019 “Fabrizio Moretti x Fabrizio Moretti | In Passing” totaled $1,8 million.
The auction achieved white glove status (100% sold), driven by new Sotheby's buyers, as well as record levels of pre-sale bidding through apps and the well-known auction house's online auction platform.
The 24 works on offer have been selected by (concessionaire) Fabrizio Moretti and presented in a series of immersive and interactive installations designed and created by Fab Moretti, each playing on the concept of perspective and based on the corresponding themes represented in the works.
Musician and visual artist Fabrizio (Fab) Moretti, commented: “I entered this collaboration thinking about how I could connect the themes represented in these 14th to 18th century artworks with a contemporary mood. The themes change throughout the year – kingdoms rise and fall – but the dedication and the human hand always remain in the artwork. The aim of our interactive installations was to celebrate this point of view and to conjure up this exhibition with Fabrizio and Sotheby's has been such a joy”.
The gallerist and collector Fabrizio Moretti added: “This was one of the most exciting experiences of my career. Sotheby's has been incredibly generous to have accepted the challenge of organizing such a laborious exhibition, and I am very grateful to all the team. I have enjoyed collaborating with my new friend Fab and look forward to crossing paths in the near future.”
Auction highlights included:
An elegant depiction of St. John the Evangelist by Silvestro by the Gherarduccis sold over 6 times its highest estimate, fetching $450.000.
A pair of Memento Mori with skulls and crossbones from the 17th century Neapolitan school exceeded its highest estimate by more than 8 times, realizing $100.000
Among the sculptures offered in the sale, a 131.250th-century glazed terracotta roundel depicting the Bonsi Della Ruota family crest by Marco 'Fra Mattia' Della Robbia, sold for $XNUMX, setting a new record for the artist at auction.
The sale also set new auction records for Matteo Cesa, whose two panels of The Birth and The Presentation Of The Virgin Mary In The Temple and The Dormition Of The Virgin Mary fetched $106.250; and Fabrizio Chiari, whose The Death of St. Anne altarpiece fetched $30.000.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit two organizations hand-picked by Fab and Fabrizio: the International Rescue Committee, which responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being and empowerment to the people ravaged by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is working in more than 40 countries and 26 offices across the United States to help people survive, reclaim control of their futures, and strengthen their communities; and the Fabrizio Moretti Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Prato, Italy that works to give people with certain disabilities access to the therapeutic benefits of horses.
Through a generous donation from art dealer Fabrizio Moretti, Moretti will donate 5% of the net sale proceeds (clearance price less expenses related to the sale not exceeding $10.000 in total) to the IRC and the 5% of the net proceeds from the sale to the Fabrizio Moretti Foundation of each item purchased by a buyer from Fabrizio Moretti x Fabrizio Moretti | In Passing sale at Sotheby's on 18 December 2019. The IRC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian aid, assistance and resettlement to refugees and other victims of oppression or violent conflict.
The Fabrizio Moretti Foundation works to give those with certain disabilities access to the therapeutic benefits of horses.
