The Italian Sale

The Italian Sale achieved £18,162,650 / $25,526,640 / €19,831,008. It was 96% sold by value. The top price was paid for Piero Manzoni‘s Achrome, which realised £2,617,250 ($3,680,000 / €2,858,900). 4 lots sold for over £1 million / 6 for over $1 million. 5 artist records were set for works by Fausto Melotti, Vettor Pisani, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Paola Pivi and Arnaldo Pomodoro.

Mariolina Bassetti, Vice Chairman of Christie's Italy, International Director in the Post-War & Contemporary Art Department and Head of the Sale commented: “This auction achieved the strongest selling rates and the 2nd highest total since we first held a sale dedicated to 20th Century Italian art at Christie’s London in 2000. These results illustrate the truly global appeal of this category with buyers from 10 different countries. We are particularly happy to have established five record prices for artists who are becoming increasingly admired on the international stage. Perhaps most pleasing was the price realised by Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Metrocubo d’Infinito which is not only a tribute to the artist, but also to the taste of its former owner, Graziella Buontempo, one of the greatest early ambassadors of modern Italian art.”