Francesca Fontana (XX) - Saladeta

Francesca Fontana — "Saladeta", 2024

The Artist
Francesca Fontana is an Italian artist based in Ibiza, whose work evokes the light, colors, and textures characteristic of the island. Since arriving in Ibiza in 2018 she has dedicated her practice to abstract painting, developing a unique language deeply tied to the territory. Before this path, she collaborated with major names in international fashion, including Jean Paul Gaultier and Krizia. Her work is represented in prominent permanent galleries such as Sotheby’s Ibiza, the Bernard Boesch Museum in France, Natural Living in Portugal, and Casa Bedouin in Cala Carbo. In 2024 she exhibited at Aubergine by ATZARO, the Club del Diario de Ibiza, the Centro Cultural Far de Ses Coves Blanques, the Centro Cultural Can Portmany, and the Club Náutico de Ibiza. An active artist in full production.

Title and year
Title: *Saladeta*
Year: 2024
Technique: Mixed media — Ibiza salt (Las Salinas), 3/4K gold leaf, acrylic and resin on canvas on stretcher
Dimensions: 130 × 81 cm (width × height)

The work
"Saladeta" is a work of abstract expressionism that recreates Ibiza’s lights, textures, and colors using the same materials that form the island. The salt comes directly from Ibiza’s Las Salinas salt flats, fused with minerals, gold leaf, and resin on canvas. The result is a living, layered, and tactile surface that evokes the island’s marine and mineral landscape through bands of color in turquoise, white, beige, and gold. As the artist explains: "I paint with the salt, harvested from the Salinas, because the salt allows me to create a situation and I love the chemical process behind it. It expresses energy and colors." A work that carries Ibiza’s energy and spirituality in every grain of salt.

Signature
The work is signed by the artist on the back of the canvas. Certificate of Authenticity issued by the artist included.

Edition
Unique original work — one-of-a-kind; not a limited edition or a reproduction.

Provenance
Lotus Art Gallery Ibiza.

Documentation
Official appraisal by Laboratorio ARTEICCD — ICCD Art Department, Granada, dated January 15, 2025 (ref. P-24/22.11-Fontana), with an estimated market value of **€2,800**. Certificate of Authenticity included.

Conditions
Excellent. The work is in perfect condition, free from damage, restorations, or imperfections. The natural materials used — salt, resin, and gold leaf — are intact and stable.

Shipping
The work will be shipped on its original stretcher, with professional packaging appropriate to the format (130 × 81 cm), via a courier specialized in art.


Notes on the artist
Francesca Fontana’s work sits within the tradition of material gestural abstract expressionism, in dialogue with artists such as Jasper Johns, Martin Assig, and Martin Kline, who have explored the use of unconventional materials as expressive language. Her research is deeply rooted in Ibiza: salt, gold, and minerals are not mere materials but symbols of transformation and connection with nature. As she herself states: "La fuerte energía de Ibiza me hizo entrar en ósmosis con la esencia mineral de la isla."