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Lot 33*,AR

ROBERTO MARCELLO BALDESSARI
(1894-1965)
Allegoria della crociera aerea del Decennale

23 November 2021, 16:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

£18,000 - £25,000

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ROBERTO MARCELLO BALDESSARI (1894-1965)

Allegoria della crociera aerea del Decennale
signed with the artist's initials 'R·M·B' (lower left)
oil on paper laid on canvasboard
38.6 x 48.6cm (15 3/16 x 19 1/8in).
Painted circa 1933-1934

Footnotes

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Archivio Unico per il Catalogo delle Opere Futuriste di Roberto Marcello Baldessari. This work will be included in the forthcoming Roberto Marcello Baldessari catalogue raisonné, currently being prepared by Maurizio Scudiero.

Provenance
Galleria la Bussola, Turin.
Private collection, Turin.

The title of the present work refers to Italo Balbo's famous Atlantic crossing, at the head of a squadron of Savoia Marchetti S55 seaplanes, created to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of Italian aviation. Chicago was chosen as the final destination for the 1933 'Century of Progress', a universal exhibition that celebrated the centenary of the city. Although the German air force had also sent a Zeppelin airship to Chicago, the feat of the Italian seaplanes was the one that most captured the world's imagination, aided in part by the commentaries of the famous aviators Charles Lindberg (former protagonist of the New York-Paris solo flight) and the oceanic flyer Amelia Earhart.

The work is an allegory of the flight, with, on the left, one of the planes flying over the ocean at night, under a full moon, and, in the centre, a synthetic profile of Italo Balbo, who led the enterprise. – Dott. Maurizio Scudiero, Baldessari Archive, Rovereto

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