Antonio Ligabue Painting Sets New Auction Record at Pandolfini

A painting by Antonio Ligabue set a new auction record for the artist at Pandolfini in Milan. The work, *Lotta di galli* (Rooster Fight), sold for €473,600 against an estimate of €80,000–150,000, driving the total for the Modern and Contemporary Art sale on June 19, 2024, to €1,740,908. The large canvas, executed between 1952 and 1962, was the top lot. Susanne Capolongo, head of the Modern and Contemporary Art department at Pandolfini, called Ligabue 'the star' of the auction and expressed pride in the result. The sale also featured strong performances by Futurist works, including *Parole in libertà futuriste, tattili-termiche olfattive* by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and Tullio d'Albisola (€65,520), *L'anguria lirica* by Bruno Munari and Tullio d'Albisola (€36,540), *Aeropittura* by Antonio Marasco (€63,000), and *Gli agrumi di Sicilia* by Fortunato Depero (€37,800). A ceramic pitcher by Pablo Picasso, *Visage au nez noir* (1969), sold for €73,080, well above its €8,000–15,000 estimate. Post-war Italian works also performed well: Lucio Fontana's *Concetto spaziale, Attesa* (1959) on foil achieved €37,800, and Mario Schifano's *Arcobaleno meccanico* (1965) reached €45,360. The auction, which attracted bidders in the room, on phones, and online, marked a positive close to Pandolfini's first-half live sales as the house celebrates its centenary.