The 19th and 20th Century Paintings department is the flagship of the Auction House.
Gregory’s experts have always approached 19th and 20th-century painting with passion, dedicating themselves to enhancing the value of nationally and internationally renowned artists and works, as well as unique and unpublished pieces, through meticulous research and selection. It is a department in constant expansion, responding with great expertise to the ever-growing and lively interest of collectors.
Gregory’s can boast one of the best auction results in Italy for Fausto Zonaro (1854 – 1929), with the unpublished masterpiece “Traveling on the Bosphorus“, an important oil on canvas auctioned for €167,280 and subsequently exhibited at the “FAUSTO ZONARO – Life and light between Ottoman splendor and Italian Belle Époque” exhibition held in Florence in April 2015.
Additionally, among the Orientalist paintings, one recalls the watercolor on paper “Constantinople’s Harbour from Koum Kapou” by Count Amadeo Preziosi (1816 – 1882), sold for €31,980 and the ink on paper “Orientalist Scene” by the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha sold for €5,250.00. Also included among the international artists handled by Gregory’s is the painting attributed to Edwin Landseer, depicting “The Milker,” sold for €3,720 and the etching by Frantisek Kupka, “Cours de gymnastique“, adjudged for €3,000.00.
The works included in Gregory’s catalogs are mainly concentrated in the period from the early 1800s to the beginning of the 1900s, with many spanning across the turn of the centuries. Particularly sought after are Romantic artworks and those by artists approaching Impressionism and Divisionism.
The department hosts Italian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries such as Giovanni Boldini, Giacomo Favretto, Carlo Grubax, Giuseppe Coen, Angelo Inganni, Giovan Battista Filosa, Attilio Pratella, and many others who enjoy consolidated interest nationally and have also crossed Italian borders, establishing themselves in the European market. Authors like Gaetano Bellei and Eugenio Zampighi are well-known nationally and internationally for their genre scenes. Notable is the highly successful auction of Bellei’s work “Ring Around the Rosie,” auctioned by Gregory’s for €34,720, as well as two drawings by Giovanni Boldini from 1915, “Lady with a Fan” and “Lady sitting on a bench sewing,” sold for €6,200 and €8,060 respectively. Also memorable are “Ladies Embroidering at Parc Monceau” by Neapolitan Raffaele Ragione, auctioned for €2,232, and the unmistakable “Parisian Boulevard” painted by Pietro Scoppetta and sold for €3,720.
Among the most significant auction results is an unusual view of Venice titled “Snow on the Grand Canal” by Giuseppe Cannella, sold for over €27,000.
In the same years, many of the most famous Bolognese painters have stood out, presenting splendid examples over time. Among them, Luigi Bertelli’s landscapes are prominent, with a special mention for the large oval “Marina with sails,” created in the first half of the 19th century and sold in 2021 for €11,780. Like his father, Flavio Bertelli, one of the most renowned painters in Bologna, has produced paintings of great impact over the years. Particularly noteworthy is “The Lovers” also published in the volume “Flavio Bertelli (1865 – 1941). In the fiftieth anniversary of his passing” – Bottegantica and auctioned for €6,820. Another Bolognese artist who has transcended national borders is Alessandro Scorzoni, remembered with the oil on canvas “My Family” from 1898: in this exquisitely crafted painting, the subject strikes with sweetness, naturalness, and spontaneity against the backdrop of typical Bolognese rooftops. The work was auctioned for €11,160. We also remember the “Self-portrait” by the Bolognese artist Mario De Maria, known as Marius Pictor, which was adjudged for €9,920.00.
There is also a growing interest among decorators and architects who love to enhance contemporary environments with valuable 19th and 20th-century paintings, rich in the charm of a recent past.
Gregory’s team of experts offers the best consultations for the purchase or sale of 19th and 20th-century paintings, aiming to contribute to the creation and enhancement of the finest collections. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information, and you can consult our past auctions to view the lots already sold.
