Renato Bertelli (1900-1974) - Profilo continuo del Duce
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€ 95
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Selected by Giulia Couzzi
Master’s in culture and arts innovation, with a decade in 20th-21st century Italian art.
Estimate € 300 - € 400
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Rare resin reproduction of Renato Bertelli's Profilo continuo del Duce (1933), bronze-finish and mounted on a black lacquered wooden base; overall height 18 cm, width 10 cm, depth 10 cm, weight 1.2 kg, unsigned.
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Description from the seller
This is a rare reproduction of the famous 1933 masterpiece titled 'Profilo Continuo del Duce', designed by Italian artist Renato Bertelli (1900–1974), who was an important figure in the modern art movement of Futurism that gained momentum during Mussolini's regime.
At first glance, this does not look like a bust, but a closer look reveals, with wonder, from every side of this artwork the characteristic profile of Mussolini with his powerful jawline.
Hence the title 'Profilo continuo del Duce', since Mussolini's profile is continuously recognizable (at 360 degrees) no matter which way the object is turned: the profile remains visible from the left, from the right, from the front, and from behind!
The ingenious design was considered (and still is) highly innovative, avant-garde, and progressive for that era, evoking similarities with a mechanical component from the machine age, which merged with Mussolini's self-styled image as defender of the working class.
The bust, very unusual in design, was also a symbol of the 'omnipresent leader who always kept everyone and everything under control'.
Italian art critic Marco Moretti expressed it this way: "The dynamic plastically of this profile of the Duce, visible from every point, launched — without rhetoric — the metaphor of a vigilant and tireless leader who sees and protects everything."
The concept of this design is tied to stop-motion photography, and this did not escape the famous photographer Robert Mapplethorpe: he produced a famous artistic photograph of an exemplar of this bust (see Google 'Mapplethorpe Mussolini bust').
This resin reproduction is extraordinary in its appearance and quality because it is finished with a bronze coating and mounted on a ceramic base.
The resin bust stands 14 cm tall and is firmly mounted on a black lacquered wood base 4 cm high; the entire object (two parts together) is 18 cm high, 10 cm wide, and 10 cm deep, and weighs 1.2 kilograms.
The item is shipped immediately after purchase with Track & Trace service, well packaged.
This is a rare reproduction of the famous 1933 masterpiece titled 'Profilo Continuo del Duce', designed by Italian artist Renato Bertelli (1900–1974), who was an important figure in the modern art movement of Futurism that gained momentum during Mussolini's regime.
At first glance, this does not look like a bust, but a closer look reveals, with wonder, from every side of this artwork the characteristic profile of Mussolini with his powerful jawline.
Hence the title 'Profilo continuo del Duce', since Mussolini's profile is continuously recognizable (at 360 degrees) no matter which way the object is turned: the profile remains visible from the left, from the right, from the front, and from behind!
The ingenious design was considered (and still is) highly innovative, avant-garde, and progressive for that era, evoking similarities with a mechanical component from the machine age, which merged with Mussolini's self-styled image as defender of the working class.
The bust, very unusual in design, was also a symbol of the 'omnipresent leader who always kept everyone and everything under control'.
Italian art critic Marco Moretti expressed it this way: "The dynamic plastically of this profile of the Duce, visible from every point, launched — without rhetoric — the metaphor of a vigilant and tireless leader who sees and protects everything."
The concept of this design is tied to stop-motion photography, and this did not escape the famous photographer Robert Mapplethorpe: he produced a famous artistic photograph of an exemplar of this bust (see Google 'Mapplethorpe Mussolini bust').
This resin reproduction is extraordinary in its appearance and quality because it is finished with a bronze coating and mounted on a ceramic base.
The resin bust stands 14 cm tall and is firmly mounted on a black lacquered wood base 4 cm high; the entire object (two parts together) is 18 cm high, 10 cm wide, and 10 cm deep, and weighs 1.2 kilograms.
The item is shipped immediately after purchase with Track & Trace service, well packaged.
Details
Era
1900-2000
Country of Origin
Italy
Style
Realism
Material
Resin, Wood
Artist
Renato Bertelli (1900-1974)
Title of artwork
Profilo continuo del Duce
Signature
Not signed
Colour
Bronze
Condition
Excellent condition
Height
18 cm
Width
10 cm
Depth
10 cm
Weight
1.2 kg
