Renato Bertelli (1900-1974) - Profilo continuo del Duce
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€ 73
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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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Renato Bertelli’s Profilo continuo del Duce is a resin reproduction finished in bronze tones, mounted on a black lacquered wooden base, measuring 18 cm high, 10 cm wide and 10 cm deep, weighing 1.2 kg, unsigned and in excellent condition.
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Description from the seller
This is a rare reproduction of the famous 1933 masterpiece entitled 'Profilo Continuo del Duce', designed by the Italian artist Renato Bertelli (1900 - 1974), who was an important representative of the modern art movement Futurism, which gained ground during Mussolini's regime.
At first glance, this does not seem like a bust, but those who look more closely marvel at, from every side of this artwork, the characteristic profile of Mussolini with his powerful jawline.
Hence the title 'Profilo continuo del Duce', as Mussolini's profile is continuously recognizable (360 degrees) no matter which side the object is turned: the profile remains visible from the left, the right, the front and the back!
The ingenious design was considered (and still is) very innovative, avant-garde and progressive for that era and recalls similarities with a mechanical component of the machine age, which complemented Mussolini's self-proclaimed image as defender of the working class.
Of the bust, very unusual in design, it was also a symbol of the 'omnipresent leader who always held everything and everyone under control'.
The Italian art critic Marco Moretti expressed it this way: The dynamic plasticity of this profile of the Duce, visible from every point, launched, without rhetoric, the metaphor of a vigilant and sleepless leader who sees and protects everything.
The concept behind this is tied to the design of stop-motion photography, and this did not escape even 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 appearance and quality because it is finished with a bronze finish and mounted on a ceramic base.
The 14 cm high resin bust is firmly mounted on a black lacquered wooden base 4 cm high, and the entire object (the two parts together) is 18 cm high, 10 cm wide and 10 cm deep, and weighs 1.2 kilograms.
The item is shipped promptly after purchase with Track & Trace shipping, well packaged.
This is a rare reproduction of the famous 1933 masterpiece entitled 'Profilo Continuo del Duce', designed by the Italian artist Renato Bertelli (1900 - 1974), who was an important representative of the modern art movement Futurism, which gained ground during Mussolini's regime.
At first glance, this does not seem like a bust, but those who look more closely marvel at, from every side of this artwork, the characteristic profile of Mussolini with his powerful jawline.
Hence the title 'Profilo continuo del Duce', as Mussolini's profile is continuously recognizable (360 degrees) no matter which side the object is turned: the profile remains visible from the left, the right, the front and the back!
The ingenious design was considered (and still is) very innovative, avant-garde and progressive for that era and recalls similarities with a mechanical component of the machine age, which complemented Mussolini's self-proclaimed image as defender of the working class.
Of the bust, very unusual in design, it was also a symbol of the 'omnipresent leader who always held everything and everyone under control'.
The Italian art critic Marco Moretti expressed it this way: The dynamic plasticity of this profile of the Duce, visible from every point, launched, without rhetoric, the metaphor of a vigilant and sleepless leader who sees and protects everything.
The concept behind this is tied to the design of stop-motion photography, and this did not escape even 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 appearance and quality because it is finished with a bronze finish and mounted on a ceramic base.
The 14 cm high resin bust is firmly mounted on a black lacquered wooden base 4 cm high, and the entire object (the two parts together) is 18 cm high, 10 cm wide and 10 cm deep, and weighs 1.2 kilograms.
The item is shipped promptly after purchase with Track & Trace shipping, 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
