The spring auction of modern and contemporary art by Aste Bolaffi, held on 19 and 20 May in Turin, closed with a record result: Antonio Ligabue's oil on panel painting from the early 1950s, Leopard with snake (Lot 79), fetched 344,749.58 euros (including royalties), a paradigmatic work in Ligabue's career that equalled the highest price achieved in 2019 by one of the his famous self-portraits.
"The work, which was also used as the cover of the auction catalogue," commented Aste Bolaffi's Chief Executive Director Filippo Bolaffi, "did not disappoint expectations, quite the contrary. I am particularly proud that Aste Bolaffi equalled the world record for a work by this emblematic artist. After the extraordinary results already achieved with other great Italian masters, such as Alighiero Boetti and Carla Accardi, the sale of this iconic Ligabue represents a further incentive for us to become the auction house of reference also for great Italian modern art".
Other top lots at the auction included Roy Lichtenstein's 1969 Art&Industry II silkscreen print (Lot 23) which was sold for 22,500 euros, more than three times its auction starting price, Hans Hartung's work P.M. 1961 - 43 (Lot 100) which sold for 17,500 euros and a selection of glazed ceramic cups by Fausto Melotti (Lots 111-121), which fetched a total of 42,000 euros.