WINTER 2019 EXHIBITING GALLERIES
GALLERIES/M&L Fine Art

Giacomo Manzu
Volto di Giapponese
Bronze
17 x 16.5 x h 44 cm (base h 9 cm)
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M&L Fine Art specialises in Modern and Contemporary art, with a focus on distinctive and historically relevant works by Italian artists. From its exhibition spaces at 15 Old Bond Street, in the heart of Mayfair, M&L Fine Art is an international platform for innovative perspectives on Carla Accardi, Agostino Bonalumi, Antonio Calderara, Enrico Castellani, Lucio Fontana, Leoncillo, Piero Manzoni, Giorgio Morandi, Giulio Paolini, Angelo Savelli and Salvatore Scarpitta, among others.
The gallery's tightly curated exhibition schedule is complemented by an educational programme of events and lectures.
Founded in October 2015, M&L Fine Art is a partnership between Matteo Lampertico and Luca Gracis, bringing to London the wide-ranging art market experience and connoisseurship established by each through their respective galleries in Milan. Following a successful series of solo and group exhibitions presenting important, rarely seen works by twentieth-century masters, in a variety of mediums, the 2019-2020 programme will develop an even greater offering of high quality presentations and cultural initiatives
Exhibition: Giacomo Manzù: Bronzes from a Private Italian Collection
M&L Fine Art is pleased to participate in London Art Week with a presentation of 10 bronze sculptures by Italian artist Giacomo Manzù (1908-1991). The exhibition will also feature paintings and works on paper focusing on the artist's recurring themes: still lifes, female portraits and religious imagery, including seated cardinals. The sculptures, all acquired during Manzù's lifetime, are eloquent examples of the artist's subtle and delicate modelling, and also present his skilful treatment of their bronze surface finish. In Manzù's work, this patina presents a broad variety of gradations which range from the characteristic dark chestnut hues of cast bronze to lighter veneers resembling gold or silver.
All of the bronze casts made by the artist in his lifetime are unique, which is a special attribute rarely found even among the greatest twentieth-century sculptors' oeuvre. At the same time, however, Manzù also focused on developing certain key subjects throughout his long career. The seated cardinal, for instance, is his most celebrated image and recurs in multiple mediums, albeit with variations in every work.
Manzù's sculptures feature a further characteristic which highlights their unique visual syntax: they were always presented as they emerged from the casting process, without further finishing procedures. This contributes to the dynamic lushness and heterogeneity of their surface, which provides a striking contrast to the artist's otherwise soft and gentle moulding.