Mario Schifano record auction at Sotheby's Milan

Sotheby's Italia closed its autumn contemporary art sale on November 24, 2021, at Palazzo Serbelloni, achieving €9,639,160, surpassing the high estimate and confirming a positive market trend. The sale, the third for Sotheby's Italia in 2021, saw 64% of the 60 lots sell above their high estimates, attracting international collectors. Head of Sale Marta Giani noted the strong results for Alighiero Boetti and Mario Schifano. The highlight was Mario Schifano's 'Cartello' (1960), from the Liverani collection, which set a new auction record at €1,041,000 (estimate €550,000-700,000). Other top lots included Alighiero Boetti's 'Aerei' (red biro) at €980,500 (new record for the series), Gino Severini's 'Tango argentino' (1913) at €835,300, Lucio Fontana's 'Concetto spaziale, Attese' at €799,000, Josef Albers' 'Study for Homage to the Square: Sell: E. B. 7' at €387,600, and Leonor Fini's 'La gourmandise' (1929) at €138,600. Boetti's 'Il dolce far niente' (black biro) sold for €557,000, and 'Lavoro postale (permutazione)' set a series record at €375,500. The sale also featured works by Alberto Burri, Christo, Elizabeth Peyton, Joseph Beuys, and others.