Aste Bolaffi unveils Nature Morte (Contraste de formes), top lot of the May 13
Modern and Contemporary Art auction

Aste Bolaffi is thrilled to announce the auction of a rare work by French artist Fernand Léger (1881-1955). The catalogue of the sale, scheduled for May 13th in Sala Bolaffi in Turin (Italy) and online on www.astebolaffi.it, will feature also other important artworks from prestigious private collections that all together represent one of the best and most unique selections ever offered by the auction house.

Estimated at €800.000-€1.200.000, 1913-1914 Nature Morte (Contraste de formes), a gouache and charcoal on paper transferred to panel, returns to the market after more than 60 years. Once part of the renowned Milanese collections of Frua and Jucker families, it was sold at auction in 1962 in Milan, fetching an exceptional result for the time being.

The masterpiece dates back to the period in which Léger developed his personal and distinctive interpretation of Cubism, between representation and abstraction, through the celebrated “Contrasts of Forms” cycle, to which this work belongs. This subject, of primary importance in Léger's artistic career, has rarely appeared on the market, especially in such color version offered by Aste Bolaffi.

Measuring 62.50cm x 45cm (24.61 x 17.72 in.), Nature Morte (Contraste de formes) is signed lower right in pencil and lower left in brush. It is accompanied by authentications from the Fernand Léger Museum in Biot (France) and the Comité Léger in Paris, and holds an export license issued by the Italian Ministry of Culture.

“Contrasts of Forms” are a revolutionary series in relation to Léger’s works and crucial for the development of Cubism and the birth of abstract art. Through a juxtaposition of tumbling geometrical shapes, such as cylinders and blocks, and primary colors, the artist pushed the boundaries of Cubism into abstraction to represent modern life. With this series Léger temporarily abandoned any representational tendency, focusing on composition.

The museum relevance of this piece of art is underscored by the fact that other works from the same series belong to the permanent collections of the world’s most important museums, including the Guggenheim and MoMA in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid.

The auction will be preceded by an exhibition, open to the public at the various Italian and European locations of the Bolaffi Auction Group.