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3242* GIORGIOMORANDI(1890 Bologna 1964)
Natura morta. 1959.
Watercolour on paper.
Signed lower left: Morandi.
27 x 37 cm.
According the catalogo generale Giorgio
Morandi himself authenticated this work
16 June 1963 and registred it under the
number 708 in the archive.
Provenance:
- Private collection Turin, Italy.
- Collection Emil Frey, Germany, by de-
scent to the present owner.
Exhibitions:
- Kaiserslautern 1976, Kunst des 20. Jahr-
hunderts aus der Sammlung F., Pfalz-
galerie Kaiserslautern, 15 February - 14
March 1976, no. 233.
- Kiel 1974, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen und
Druckgrafik des 20. Jahrhunderts aus
der Sammlung eines Kielers, Ausstellung
zum 100. Jubiläum der Schleswig-Hol-
steinischen Landesbrandkasse, Kunst-
halle Kiel, 3 February - 3 March 1974, no.
114.
- Ludwigshafen am Rhein 1970, Idee und
Wirklichkeit, Handzeichnungen und
Aquarelle des 20. Jahrhunderts aus
Privatbesitz, Austellung im Bürgermeis-
ter-Ludwig-Reichert-Haus Städtische
Kunstsammlungen Ludwigshafen am
Rhein, 11 October - 1 November 1970,
no. 128.
- Hannover 1964, Morandi, Kestner-Ge-
sellschaft 1964, no. 23.
Literature:
- Pasquali, Marilena: Morandi. Aquarelli -
Catalogo generale, Mailand 1991, no.
1959/27, p. 120 (with ill.).
The fact that the still-life belongs to
Morandi, like the brush belongs to the
painter, is reflected in the artist's cata-
logue raisonné. Dedicating the bulk of
his career to still-life elements, he mainly
portrayed bottles, glasses and vessels of
everyday use more than any other artist,
which amongst other things earned him
the nickname "the bottle painter".
The artist was influenced by his Italian
forefathers of the Quattrocento. Among
them, Masaccio, Paolo Uccello and Pierro
della Francesco were the most important:
their frescos' simple, coherent struc-
ture, combined with a virtually sculptural
depiction of volume, had a formative
influence on Morandi. He also tried to
orientate himself on Modern masters such
as Cézanne, and eventually managed to
create his own art with a highly recognisa-
ble quality.
For Morandi, the ultimate goal was the ar-
rangement of the vessels and the creation
of a perfect and harmonious composition
in the process. The peaceful tranquillity
that suffuses his work is underscored
by his special colour palette made up of
earthy tones.
The works offered in our auction beautiful-
ly show the artist's creative process. Pencil
works and watercolours are very important
components of the artist's development
and ultimately lead to the final oil paintings.
The pencil work serves to find the com-
position and the watercolour to eventually
find the colour harmony. This underscores
the fact that Morandi was a very precise
artist who strove for perfection.
CHF 50 000 / 70 000
(€ 44 640 / 62 500)