Lot 27: Antonio Donghi (Italian, 1897-1963) Vaso di fiori

Vaso di fiori
signed and dated 'Antonio Donghi/35' (lower right)
oil on canvas, unframed
49.8 x 39.8cm (19 5/8 x 15 11/16in).
Painted in 1935

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist by the father of the present owner.

This work is sold with a photo-certificate of authenticity from Mr Valerio Rivosecchi, dated Roma 13 gennaio 2012.

The present work was executed in 1935, a key year for Donghi in which he participated in the second Quadriennale di Roma. Established in 1931 and held every four years at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, the event showed the best examples of Roman contemporary art. Donghi's twenty two exhibited works were in the company of paintings by leading artists such as Gino Severini, Carlo Carrà, Fausto Pirandello and Ottone Rosai.

Antonio Donghi was a key member of the so-called Scuola Romana, a loose grouping of artists referred to as the Scuola di Via Cavour, because it was in a studio on that street where the group usually met. From 1927 the artist added a new element to his hitherto limited repertoire of subjects – a simple vase sitting on a table at the centre of his composition. The present lot is typical of this period, where the commonplace subject allows Donghi to focus on the simple and enigmatic beauty of the geometric volume.