Lojze Spacal (1907-2000) - Costa dalmata

Lojze Spacal - Dalmatian Coast - Linocut on paper - 1961

DETAILS OF THE WORK
Artist: Lojze Spacal (Italy / Slovenia)
Title of the work: "Dalmatian Coast"
Era: 1961
Technique and materials: Linocut on paper. The edition is preserved within its original protective portfolio. Work without a frame.
Dimensions: Sheet 25.1 x 23.5 cm (Image: 15 x 11 cm).
Signature: Signed bottom right.
Edition: 90 copies.
Conditions: Excellent. Never framed, kept in its original portfolio. The following defects are noted: one exfoliation near the top-left plate edge, and a tiny crease at the bottom-right corner of the sheet (the photographs are part of the description).

DOCUMENTATION
Documentation: Certificate of authenticity provided by Galleria d'Arte Piero Della Francesca, Arezzo. Photocopy of the publication.
Exhibitions: Grafica d'autore - Selected - Galleria d'Arte Piero Della Francesca, Arezzo, March 2025.
Publications: Catalog of the exhibition "Grafica d'Autore-Selected", Edizioni Galleria d'Arte Piero Della Francesca, 2025. Please note that the original catalog is NOT included in the sale. Only the PHOTOCOPY will be attached.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK
We offer at auction a precious and rare historical print from 1961 by Lojze Spacal, one of the foremost engravers of the European 20th century and an unparalleled interpreter of the harsh and poetic atmospheres of the Adriatic landscape.
The work, titled "Dalmatian Coast", condenses the expressive power of his technique of choice: linocut. Through a masterful geometric synthesis and a skillful play of contrasts and color blocks, Spacal abstracts elements of the Mediterranean landscape (rocks, buildings, nets, boats or natural elements) transforming them into absolute, almost magical signs. The engraved material conveys the raw and fascinating essence of Dalmatia, filtered through the deep sensitivity of the master.
This is a sheet of high collectible value, belonging to a narrow edition of only 90 copies. The piece is even rarer and more desirable due to its exceptional preservation conditions: the work has never been framed and is perfectly housed within its original protective portfolio.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND CRITICS ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lojze (Luigi) Spacal (Trieste, 1907 – Trieste, 2000) was a renowned painter and engraver, a prominent figure of the Slovenian community in Italy and a vital link between Central European, Balkan and Italian culture of the 20th century.
Of humble origins and a youth marked by political persecutions and internal exile under the fascist regime, Spacal found in art a path to emancipation and powerful affirmation of identity. His visual research is inextricably linked to his homeland: the Karst, Istria, Dalmatia and the Adriatic coasts. Rugged landscapes, peasant houses, boats and dry-stone walls are stripped of any folkloric rhetoric to be transfigured into compositions of strict geometry, close to abstraction, characterized by a simple yet vibrant palette.
Although his painting production is of very high level, it is in the field of graphics (woodcut and linocut) that Spacal achieves world-renowned fame. His talent was definitively consecrated in 1958, when he won the prestigious International Grand Prize for Graphics at the Venice Biennale. Over his long life he has exhibited in the world’s most important museums (from the São Paulo Biennial in Brazil to the Museum of Modern Art in New York) and today his works are housed in prestigious public and private collections. In Štanjel (San Daniele del Carso, in Slovenia), the Castle hosts a very rich permanent gallery dedicated to him.

SHIPPING AND PACKAGING
Packaging: We guarantee professional, rigid, and tailor-made packaging designed to preserve the total integrity of the paper and the portfolio during transit, protected from shocks, creases, and humidity.
Courier: Tracked, fast, and secure shipment via express courier. To guarantee the buyer, this article includes mandatory shipping insurance.
Customs and Export (Extra-EU): Any customs duties are charged to the buyer.
Invoicing: Professional seller. The work will be accompanied by a tax receipt (or electronic invoice, available on request by sending your details at the time of auction).