Christian Levett’s Postwar Italian Art Collection Heads to Sotheby’s London

On March 5, Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction in London will feature fifteen pieces from the collection of British financier Christian Levett, focusing on postwar Italian art. This collection was curated after Levett relocated from the UK to Florence and includes notable works by artists such as Lucio Fontana, Enrico Castellani, Alberto Burri, and Paolo Scheggi. Highlighted pieces are Castellani’s Superficie rossa (1963, est. £350,000–450,000), Burri’s Bianco CN4 (1966, est. £400,000–600,000), Fontana’s Concetto Spaziale from the Olii series (1961, est. £400,000–600,000), and Scheggi’s Intersuperficie Curva, Bianca (1967–68, est. £300,000–500,000), the largest work by Scheggi ever auctioned. Other represented artists include Alberto Biasi, Agostino Bonalumi, and Marino Marini. Initially a collector of coins and antiquities, Levett's focus shifted after his experience in Renaissance Florence. In 2011, he established a museum in Mougins, France, which was renamed in 2024 to the Female Artists of the Mougins Museum (FAMM) to reflect his changing interests.