Alighiero Boetti's largest Mappa to debut at Sotheby's New York
Sotheby's Contemporary Evening Sale in New York on November 16 will showcase a significant Mappa by Alighiero Boetti, measuring nearly six meters in width. This 1989-1991 artwork is the largest map ever to be auctioned, with an estimated value of approximately $8 million. It was first displayed in the 2011 exhibition Game Plan at MoMA, Reina Sofía, and Tate Modern, featuring a striking ivory background. In the past five years, only six Mappe have been sold at auction. The work is being sold by the Fondazione Chiara e Francesco Carraro in Italy to further its commitment to 20th-century art. Boetti initiated his Mappe series in 1971, working with Afghan embroiderers, and this piece includes a note regarding its creation.
Key facts
- Alighiero Boetti's Mappa, 1989-1991, nearly 6 meters wide, is the largest map ever auctioned.
- Estimate around $8 million, highest for a Boetti work.
- Debuts at Sotheby's Contemporary Evening Sale, New York, November 16.
- First exhibited in 2011 retrospective Game Plan at MoMA, Reina Sofía, and Tate Modern.
- Only six Mappe sold at auction in the last five years.
- Provenance: Fondazione Chiara e Francesco Carraro, Italy.
- Inscription: 'Made in Peshawar Pakistan by Afghan people in 1989 and 90 and 91'.
- Boetti started the Mappe series in 1971 in Afghanistan.
Entities
Artists
- Alighiero Boetti
Institutions
- Sotheby's
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Reina Sofía
- Tate Modern
- Fondazione Chiara e Francesco Carraro
- Galleria di Arte Moderna di Ca' Pesaro
Locations
- New York
- Madrid
- London
- Italy
- Venezia
- Afghanistan
- Kabul
- Peshawar
- Pakistan