“Simmetrico Asimmetrico” by Alighiero Boetti is a refined example of the artist’s conceptual investigation, in which the contrast between order and disorder, repetition and variation, becomes visually manifest. Executed in black ballpoint pen on paper, the composition creates a tension between the rigor of the mark and the unpredictability of its arrangement. The title itself suggests the work’s internal duality: an apparent structure is simultaneously disrupted, reflecting the dialogue between symmetry and asymmetry.
Born in Turin in 1940 and active until 1994, Boetti is a pivotal figure in Italian Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. His practice is distinguished by the interaction between concept and form, where seriality, delegation, and systems play a central role. Throughout his career, he explored themes such as multiplication, duality, order, and chance, transforming each work into a meditation on time, authorship, and participation.
In “Simmetrico Asimmetrico”, the distribution of commas and letters across the surface suggests a visual map that alternates rhythm and interruption. The choice of ballpoint pen and paper lends the work a restrained yet powerful elegance, while also reflecting the artist’s departure from traditional painting in favour of a more conceptual language. For this reason, the work fits perfectly within a contemporary context that values visual intelligence and conceptual presence. Ultimately, “Simmetrico Asimmetrico” is not merely a drawing, but an aesthetic statement—an invitation to question balance, disruption, and the very logic of art itself.
Description: Black ballpoint pen on paper, two elements mounted on a panel and housed within the original plexiglass case; bearing on the reverse the title, date, signature, and inscription as shown in the photograph, H cm 100×140.
Notes: Work accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity on photograph issued by the Archivio Alighiero Boetti, signed by Matteo Boetti and dated 21/05/2008, specifying the title, year, technique, dimensions, photograph of the reverse, and archive number 5803.
Publications: J. C. Ammann, Alighiero Boetti, Catalogo generale Tomo secondo, Milano 2012, p. 99, fig. 502.
Provenance: Important private collection – Bologna.
Hammer Price: € 200.000,00
Auction 79 – February 10th 2025 – Modern and Contemporary Art
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