15/10/2001
by Annalisa Rossi

Though its been something of a mixed year in Italy for 19^th century paintings, top prices were paid for Italian Divisionist or Macchiaioli paintings. (Macchiaioli from the Italian macchia: stain or speck of colour.) Of the latter, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpeda led the pack with his April in Volpedo, which sold at Sotheby’s, Milan on the 5^th of June for $ 442,000 (€ 483,100), against an estimate of $ 283,400-377,900 (309,800-413,100). The result puts the artist in the top-ten best performances of Italian art sales for the year.

The market for Pellizza reached peak prices in 1984 when Finarte in Milan sold Fiumana for the then hammer price of $ 1.2 million (€ 1.3 million) selling to Angelo Abbadio, on behalf of the Brera museum in Milan. The work carries a social theme not dissimilar to the artist’s famed The Fourth State. After this top price, the artist’s fortunes on the Italian market tailed off somewhat. Dominique Reiner, specialist in 19^th century paintings at Sotheby’s, Milan commented, "unfortunately the high estimates sought by vendors often leads to works remaining unsold: this was the case of Landscape near Volpedo – clouds in the evening on the Curone, a work of great quality which I had chosen as the cover-lot in my last sale. It carried an estimate of $ 380,800-571,200 (€ 413,160-619,750). Despite this the market for Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo remains strong as his works are rare and also because he is an artist that anticipated artistic trends. He was among the first in Italy to paint with the divisionist technique which despite some market disappointments, is still very fashionable today and much sought after. A highly talented painter, Volpedda’s work was inspired by the growing socialist movement. It is this that makes him greatly loved by Italian collectors."

Apart from the six-figure dollar sums that sometimes make the headlines for the artist, hammer prices tend to remain around $ 25,000 (€ 27,460). However oils executed with the divisionist technique, especially landscapes, tend to command better prices than his portraits. For example House on the Hillside sold at Finarte, Milan in October 1996 for $ 18,800 (€ 20,600). Compare this with a Self Portrait, sold last year on the 20^th of December by Finarte, Milan for $ 14,300 (€ 15,500), or Head Study, which sold at the same location on the 22^nd of May for $ 8,100 (€ 8,700). Chalk drawings are priced around these levels but are rarer on the market. At Finarte in Milan, a Landscape sold for the then hammer price of $ 19,200 (€ 21,000) in December 1994, whilst Male Figure sold in June 1992 for a current figure of $ 22,900 (€ 25,100). However his pencil and ink drawings have lower quotes, usually around $ 2,500-3,500 (€ 2,750-3,840).

An assessment of the market for Pellizza da Volpedo, needs to take into account the general rise in interest in Italian art. Witness the recent "Arte Povera" show that attracted widespread critical acclaim at the Tate Modern, or the new Italian sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London. These developments should help underpin the market for Pellizza who, in addition, is enjoying a good deal of popularity in Italy at the moment. The exhibition Pellizza e il suo tempo (Pellizza and his Time) has been organised to mark the 100^th anniversary of the painting The Fourth State, with the work being returned from the Brera museum in Milan to its native town. It will be possible to view the work until the 25^th of November in Alessandria, a small town in the north of the country, near the village of Volpedo which last year hosted an exhibition of the work, attracting over 20,000 visitors. Furthermore, - along with Modigliani, Morandi, Carrà, De Chirico and Burri - Pelilizza is the focus in an exhibition of 20^th century Italian art at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo (closing the 12^th of December) where it will be possible to see his oil on canvas, Rising Sun.

In view of the above, works by Volpedo can be expected to command increasing attention and firmer prices. For example take note of Street-sweeper in Volpedo, an oil on canvas which sold at Finarte, Milan in 1987 for $ 38,550 (€ 42,350). In 1992 the same auction house sold it again, but this time with a hammer price of $ 56,400 (€ 61,970). That’s a profit for the vendor of 46% in the space of five years. A catalogue raisonnée of the complete works of Pellizza, curated by Aurora Scotti and published by Electa in 1986 is a recommended buy for those interested in the works of the artist.