The sculpture “Two Figures” (1950) by Luciano Minguzzi constitutes one of the most significant works of the artist’s mature phase, in which his sculptural research focuses on the relationship between bodies, space and expressive tension.
The two figures, in fact, are fused in a dynamic and unstable interweaving, in which the anatomies appear deliberately deformed and simplified. However, this deformation is never arbitrary, but functional to conveying a sense of silent drama and precarious balance. The volumes are hollowed out, contracted and marked by an irregular surface, which highlights the sculptural process and the artist’s direct intervention on the material.
From a historical point of view, the work “Two Figures” belongs to the climate of the post-war period, a time in which Luciano Minguzzi developed a personal language, distant both from academic naturalism and from pure abstraction. On the contrary, his sculpture always maintains a strong connection with the human figure, reinterpreted in an existential key. Not by chance, a variant of the work is held at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice, confirming the institutional importance of the work.
Description: Large bronze sculpture, unique example, on a bronze base, bearing on the right leg of the figure in the foreground the artist’s branded graphic symbol, signature and date, H cm 147x101x70.
Publications: G. Raimondi, “The Bolognese Avant-Garde in Venice”, Il Resto del Carlino, Bologna, June 1966; C. Pirovano, “Minguzzi. Visual Arts”, no. 2, Milan, 1973, p. 138; M. Valsecchi, “Minguzzi”, Ed. Grafis, Bologna, 1975, fig. 45; M. De Micheli, catalogue of the exhibition at Castello Sforzesco, Milan, April-June 1992, pp. 53-54-55; “Minguzzi at Castello Sforzesco. Sculptures and Drawings”, Milan, p. 55; “Manzù, Minguzzi, Fabbri”, p. 89.
Exposition: Galleria Il Milione – Milan, 1958; Exhibition of the Prizewinners of the Venice Biennials – Ca’ Pesaro, Venice, 1964; Galleria dell’Accademia – Venice, 1966; Galleria Cortina – Milan, 1969; Museo Civico – Bologna, 1970; Rotonda della Besana – Milan, 1973 (cat. no. 17); Galleria d’Arte Moderna – Bologna, 1975; Historic Centre – Rimini, 1976; Galleria Il Milione – Milan, 1985; Palazzo dei Diamanti – Ferrara, 1986 (cat. no. 3); Galleria La Loggia – Bologna, 1986; City Art Museum – Niigata, Japan, 1988; Museum of Modern Art – Gumma (Japan), 1988; City Art Museum – Shimonoseki (Japan), 1988; Museum of Art – Fukuyama (Japan), 1989; Castello Sforzesco – Milan, 1992.
Provenance: Private Collection – Ferrara.
Hammer Price: € 25.000,00
Auction 63 – 17 April 2023 – PRIVATE COLLECTIONS CONTEMPORARY ART
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