9. * AR PIERO DORAZIO (1927-2005) Untitled 1957 signed and dated 57 gouache and graphite on paper signed and dated 57 gouache and graphite on paper 63 x 48 cm. 24 13/16 x 18 7/8 in. This work is registered with the Archivio Piero Dorazio, Milan; a certificate from the Archivio Piero Dorazio will be given to the buyer. Provenance Howard Wise Gallery, New York Barbara Wise, New York (by descent) Moeller Fine Art, New York (acquired from Moeller Fine Art circa 1992) Private collection, New York Exhibitions New York, Achim Moeller Fine Art, Piero Dorazio: Watercolors and Drawings, 3 -22 December 2002 New York, Moeller Fine Art, Piero Dorazio, 16 September - 12 November 2010 Piero Dorazio is a leading Italian artist and an emblematic figure of Italian abstraction. A co-signatory of the "Manifesto Forma 1" (the painter belonged to the eponymous group) in 1947, the artist won a scholarship that year to study at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he met and rubbed shoulders with visionary artists such as Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay, Gino Severini, Le Corbusier and Georges Vantongerloo, among many others. In 1953, Piero Dorazio travelled to the United States for the first time, where he met the critic Clement Greenberg, the 'deus ex machina' of abstract expressionism, as well as the artists Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko. The Italian artist exhibited his work in the prestigious New York venues of the Wittenborn One-Wall Gallery and the Rose Fried Gallery. Between 1960 and 1969, he became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, a veritable temple of fine art education in the United States at the time. The five works we have the honour of presenting come from an important American private collection, where the enlightened taste of the connoisseur has become an essential reference. They were produced during the artist's most prolific and sought-after period, from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. The 1959, 1960 and 1962 works are part of the highly coveted 'Reticoli' series, in which Piero Dorazio paints his majestic frames (reticoli). These are his emblematic abstract compositions featuring oblique bands of colour, varying in thickness and density, executed in watercolour, pastel or ink. These works, acquired from the descendants of Howard Wise, the legendary American art dealer and patron, have never before been offered at auction. The 1960 composition was created in the same year that Dorazio was honoured with a room entirely devoted to him at the Venice Biennale. This event marked his recognition by museums and the art world, which would continue until his death in 2005. Piero Dorazio is a leading Italian artist and an emblematic figure of Italian abstraction. A co-signatory of the "Manifesto Forma 1" (the painter belonged to the eponymous group) in 1947, that year he won a scholarship to study at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he met and befriended visionary artists such as Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay, Gino Severini, Le Corbusier and Georges Vantongerloo, to name but a few. In 1953, Piero Dorazio travelled to the United States for the first time, where he met the critic Clement Greenberg, the 'deus ex machina' of abstract expressionism, as well as the artists Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko. The Italian artist exhibited his work in the prestigious New York venues of the Wittenborn One-Wall Gallery and the Rose Fried Gallery. Between 1960 and 1969, he became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, a veritable temple for the teaching of Fine Arts at that time in the United States. The five works we have the honour of presenting come from a prestigious American collector, whose enlightened taste has become a reference in the world of art. They were produced during the artist's most prolific and sought-after period, from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. The works from 1959, 1960 and 1962 are part of the highly coveted 'Reticoli' series, in which Piero Dorazio paints his majestic wefts (reticoli). These are his emblematic abstract compositions featuring oblique bands of colour, varying in thickness and density, executed in watercolour, pastel or ink. These works, acquired from the descendants of Howard Wise, the legendary American art dealer and patron, have never before been offered at auction. The 1960 composition was created in the same year that Dorazio was honoured with a room entirely dedicated to him at the Venice Biennale. This event marked his recognition in museums and on the market, which would continue until his death in 2005.