Rodolfo Aricò (1930-2002) - Progetto C-Y

Rodolfo Aricò - Progetto C-Y - Mixed media on cardboard - 1979

DETAILS OF THE WORK

Artist: Rodolfo Aricò (Italy)

Title of the work: "Progetto C-Y"

Era: 1979

Technique and materials: Mixed media (collage and graphite) on cardboard.

Signature: The work is signed and dated (1979).

Dimensions: 100x70 cm.

Conditions: Excellent. No structural defects (the photographs are an integral part of the description).

DOCUMENTATION

Certificate of Authenticity from the Piero Della Francesca Art Gallery (Arezzo). Photocopy of the publication.

EXHIBITIONS

"Summer Selection - Estate 2026", Piero Della Francesca Art Gallery (Arezzo).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Catalogue of the Exhibition "Summer Selection - Estate 2026", Piero Della Francesca Art Gallery (Arezzo).

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK

We propose at auction a refined work from 1979 by Rodolfo Aricò, a central figure of Italian abstract art and analytic painting, whose research sits at the crossroads between art, architecture, and phenomenology of space.

The work, entitled "Progetto C-Y", represents an emblematic study of the artist's visual language. It stands out for a rigorous mixed technique: on a delicate and precise graphite grid traced on cardboard, Aricò inserts geometric fields made with collage, with measured chromatic nuances and violet tones. The geometric sections interact dynamically with the underlying grid, creating a delicate balance between mathematics, spatial calculation, and visual poetry, elements that have made his production famous.

This is a piece of great historical-critical importance, perfect for investors and collectors of contemporary art and 20th-century analytic painting. Its value is further certified and guaranteed by the solid exhibitional background and by the full-page publication in the show catalog (a copy is provided).

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND CRITICISM ABOUT THE ARTIST

Rodolfo Aricò (Milan, 1930 – 2002) is considered one of the leading figures of Italian contemporary art in the second half of the 20th century. His research developed from the 1960s in parallel with geometric abstraction, minimalism, and international analytic painting (Shaped Canvas). Detaching himself from the logic of Informalism, Aricò explored throughout his life the deep relationship between space, form, and color, creating works that are authentic "painted architectures". His shaped canvases and his projects on paper and cardboard are famous, in which the use of geometry, the golden ratio, and modular units is never coldly mathematical, but rich with luminous vibrations and humanistic sensitivity. His works have been shown in countless editions of the Venice Biennale and today form part of the permanent collections of the most important European contemporary art museums.

Aricò's spatial research (widely documented in recent prestigious retrospectives such as "The Dissonant Image" at Villa Pisani Bonetti) is splendidly manifested in this rare *Progetto C-Y* from 1979. The work is part of the renowned cycle of planimetric studies in mixed media (twin to the analogous *Progetto C-X*, recently seen in historic international auction houses), in which graphite and collage on cardboard replace the shaped canvas to calculate volumetric weights and the architecture of the vision.

SHIPPING AND PACKING

Packaging: We guarantee professional, rigid, and custom-reinforced packaging designed to preserve the total integrity of the work and the cardboard during transit, sheltered from moisture and creases.

Courier: Tracked, fast, and safe shipping via express courier.

Customs and Export (Extra-EU): For buyers residing outside the European Union, shipping may require the technical times necessary to obtain the Export License from MiC (Ministry of Culture). Any customs duties are the responsibility of the buyer.

Invoicing: Professional seller. The work will be accompanied by a fiscal receipt (or electronic invoice, available upon request by sending your details at the time of auctioning the lot).