Alighiero Boetti tapestry leads Bonhams London auction during Frieze Week

Bonhams London will auction Alighiero Boetti's tapestry 'Tutto' (1988-1989) as the top lot in its Post-War & Contemporary Art sale on October 12, 2023, coinciding with Frieze Week. The work, from the collection of Dutch collector Cornelis Paulus van Pauwvliet, measures 92×140.5 cm and is estimated at £700,000–1,000,000. Van Pauwvliet acquired it in 1996 as the sole contemporary piece in his collection of over 200 objects from the 18th century onward, which Bonhams will auction separately on November 21. The tapestry explores Boetti's recurring theme of order versus disorder through varied images, symbols, and signs embroidered on canvas. The record for the series remains 'Tutto' (circa 1990), sold by Christie's New York on November 17, 2022 for $6,060,000. Other larger works have exceeded $1 million, while a slightly smaller canvas achieved $822,690 at Christie's Paris in 2016. The Bonhams catalogue also includes works by Günther Förg, Lucio Fontana, Salman Toor, Tracey Emin, Albert Oehlen, César, Caroline Walker, Shara Hughes, Ewa Juszkiewicz, and Michaela Yearwood-Dan. Fontana's 'Concetto spaziale, Attesa' (1965) is estimated at £500,000–700,000, Förg's 'Untitled' (2008) at £400,000–600,000, and Toor's 'Pre-Drinks' (2018) at £150,000–200,000.