Blindarte's 2019 Auction: Rauschenberg Top Lot at €630K

Blindarte closed 2019 with a strong auction, led by Robert Rauschenberg's 'Parsons’ Live Plants Ammonia (Cardboard)' (1971) sold for €630,000 (including fees). The work, an assemblage of printed cardboard, set a record for the artist's works of this type globally and became the third-highest Rauschenberg sale in Europe. Director Memmo Grilli noted it surpassed the 2008 sale of a Rauschenberg GLUT at Blindarte for over €550,000. Other highlights included Andy Warhol's 'Vesuvius' at €45,000 and 'Campbell Soup' at €20,500. Italian Pop artists like Schifano, Tano Festa, and Franco Angeli performed well. An Alighiero Boetti tapestry sold for €22,500, and a Giò Pomodoro sculpture for nearly €10,000. Photography saw strong bidding: Pietro Roccasalva's work exceeded its €2,000-3,000 estimate to sell for over €3,500, and Vincenzo Castella's 'Atene' went from €3,500-4,500 to €6,200. Gianni Caravaggio and Flavio Favelli also sold well. The auction also included watches, jewelry, and 19th-20th century works, with a sell-through rate over 50%, up from 2018. The sale took place in Milan, with active phone bidding from abroad.