The 20th century protagonist at Cambi

Cambi is preparing to host one of the most eagerly awaited events on the art scene: the Modern and Contemporary Art Auction, scheduled for Tuesday 1 July 2025. An event that will turn the spotlight on over 150 works representing more than a century of creativity, from the historical avant-gardes of the early 20th century to the most recent production.

A journey through a century of art

The catalogue is distinguished by the breadth and quality of the proposal, which crosses languages, schools and experiments. From the visionary brushstrokes of Futurism to the conceptual signs of the post-World War II period, each work recounts a fragment of the artistic history of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Among the most fascinating nuclei of the auction is a section devoted to Aeropittura and Italian Futurism, a movement that translated the speed and dynamism of the new century into images. Three emblematic names represent it:

Gerardo Dottori, with his imposing Volo sull’oceano (Flight over the Ocean, 1929), a lyrical homage to the thrill of flight.

Tullio Crali, with Volo sospeso (1934), a poetic synthesis of technique and movement.

Roberto Marcello Baldessari, present with a pastel that powerfully conveys the simultaneity and rhythm of Futurist language.

Italian Masterpieces between Concept and Matter

The proposal is enriched with works that narrate the multiple directions of Italian art in the second half of the 20th century:

Paolo Scheggi with Zone riflesse (1962), a three-dimensional work that dialogues with space and perception.

Giuseppe Capogrossi, author of the striking Surface 647.

Lucio Fontana, present with a rare ceramic dedicated to the theme of bullfighting, emblematic of his research between gesture and material.

There is no shortage of works by Felice Casorati and Giacomo Balla, which bring attention back to figurative introspection and formal experimentation in the early 20th century. Casorati’s Fanciullo nello studio is a masterly example of psychological introspection, while Balla’s two works bear witness to the transition from Divisionist painting to the Futurist revolution.

A Look Beyond Borders: Warhol, Léger and the Informal

The auction opens up to an international scope with works signed by some of the greatest masters of the 20th century in Europe and America:

Andy Warhol’s $1, a silkscreen print symbolising pop culture and the reproducibility of art.

A Composition by Fernand Léger, a gouache that synthesises his constructive and dynamic language.

Among the protagonists of the Italian Informal movement, Afro Basaldella stands out with Nero medio, a work documented in the critical bibliography, where sign and material merge into a lyrical synthesis. The panorama is completed by Karel Appel with Leon, an example of the expressiveness of the CoBrA group, and Renato Guttuso, present with a Natura morta con fiasco e bottiglia with a vibrant chromatic impact.

Contemporaneity between provocation and poetry

The gaze finally turns to the contemporary scene, with works that reflect the present through different languages:

Paolo Schmidlin, a sculptor known for his hyperrealist provocations inspired by pop culture.

Bros (Daniele Nicolosi), pioneer of Milanese street art.

Velasco Vitali, an artist who investigates landscapes of memory and abandonment.

Paola Greggio, with Parole Green, a work in newspaper and stucco that reflects on the ephemeral and powerful value of the printed word.

Discover all the lots on cambiaste.com!