From Wildt to Fontana: 20th-Century Masterpieces Up for Auction

On July 1, at its Milan office at Via San Marco 22, Cambi will present its new catalog dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Experts Daniele Palazzoli and Michela Scotti will highlight some of the most notable lots.

The day begins in the morning with a collection featuring a refined selection from a Piedmontese collection of artist’s books. Among the most significant pieces is the complete collection of *Derrière le Miroir*, the famous magazine of the Maeght Gallery, which began as an exhibition catalog and was published from 1946 to 1982. The collection includes all issues of the magazine, including the one dedicated to Chagall, considered the most important in the series and offered in a separate lot.

In the afternoon, the auction continues with a selection of works spanning the entire 20th century up to the present day. The catalog aims to offer a journey that traces the evolution of art history through different artists and artistic languages.

As usual, the auction features a selection of international graphic art, including works by Picasso, Alechinsky, Bacon, and Lichtenstein, alongside a prized collection of drawings by international artists—the true highlight of the sale—including Max Ernst, Kandinsky, Klee, Utrillo, and Breton.

Among the highlights of the auction is a sculpture by Adolfo Wildt, an artist who, despite having been one of the greatest Italian sculptors of the 20th century, was rediscovered only relatively recently, partly due to the historical context in which he worked. The work on offer is *Anima gentile*, a sculpture that echoes the famous 1912 diptych *Anima gentile – Carattere fiero*, created after a period of profound personal crisis that Wildt referred to as his “mental night.” From that moment on, his work took on even greater expressive power.

Wildt can be considered a Symbolist and Expressionist artist: he does not merely depict what he feels, but succeeds in conveying his emotions to the viewer. In *Anima gentile*, the feminine aspect present in every individual—a symbol of sensitivity and fragility—emerges, finding its counterpoint in *Carattere fiero*, an expression of the most determined and resolute side of the human spirit. Wildt was also a mentor to artists such as Fontana and Melotti, both of whom are featured in the catalog. A refined mirror by Lucio Fontana is included—a work that differs in style but shares a profound poetic intensity with Wildt’s oeuvre.

Among the most significant works is also an important painting by Tancredi, an artist who died prematurely at the age of just 37. In his works, he poured out his inner torment through an abstract language that, while appearing as such to the viewer, represented for him a deeply authentic form of expression.

Another highly significant lot is an important painting by Antonio Donghi, depicting a portrait of the Duce on horseback. The work was created in 1937 for a competition organized by the Sanremo Prize, after which it was lost for many years. It reappeared on the market when the current owner purchased it in France around 2016. It was subsequently exhibited at Palazzo Braschi in Rome and, more recently, in 2024, at Palazzo Merulana.

The painting depicts Mussolini on horseback set against an almost surreal landscape that seems to dissolve into the background. The elegant, snow-white horse immediately captures the viewer’s attention; the white color symbolically evokes the color of victory, in a reference to the Book of Revelation. The Duce, depicted in his black parade uniform, appears at once authoritative and almost lost within this ethereal setting. Donghi had originally painted him performing the Roman salute, but this choice did not meet with the approval of the official critics of the time, forcing the artist to modify the composition.

The catalog thus includes not only works by Wildt, Melotti, Fontana, and Tancredi, but also a significant section dedicated to the early 20th century. Among the masterpieces are an extraordinary gouache by Kandinsky from the 1930s and an important work on paper by Paul Klee.

The exhibition concludes with some of the leading figures in Italian art of the late 20th century and the contemporary era, including Spalletti, Bonalumi, Boetti, two works by Salvo, and a selection of highly significant contemporary Italian and international artists.