Futurisme Buste met Brons Patina Finish - Renato Bertelli (1900-1974) - Bust, Profile continuo del Duce - 18 cm - Alabaster - 1995

This is a rare 1995 reproduction of the famous 1933 artwork titled 'Endless Profile of the Duce', designed by the Italian artist Renato Bertelli (1900 - 1974), who was a prominent advocate of the modern art movement Futurism, which gained traction during Mussolini's regime.

At first glance it may not look like a bust, but a closer look reveals, with wonder, from all sides of this artwork the distinctive profile of Mussolini with his strong jawline.

Hence the title 'Endless Profile of the Duce', since one recognizes Mussolini's profile in a continuous (360-degree) manner, no matter which side you turn the object to: the profile remains continuously visible from left, right, front, and back!

The genius design was (and still is) considered very groundbreaking, innovative, and forward-thinking for that era and evokes similarities with a mechanical component from the machine age, which fitted Mussolini's self-proclaimed image as defender of the working class.

The bust, very unusual in form, also symbolized “the ubiquitous leader who always kept an eye on everything and everyone.”

The Italian art critic Marco Moretti phrased it as follows: The plastic dynamic of this profile of the Duce, visible from every point, launched “without rhetoric the metaphor of a watchful and sleepless leader who sees and watches everything.”

Conceptually, the design is related to stop-motion photography, and this did not escape the famous photographer Robert Mapplethorpe: He made a well-known artistic photograph of a version of this bust (see Google 'Mapplethorpe Mussolini bust').

This alabaster reproduction, which is in good condition, is extraordinary in appearance and quality because it has been finished with a bronze finish and mounted on a marble pedestal.

Only the dark gray marble pedestal is lightly damaged: one small corner is broken and there are some minor chips elsewhere, all considered not distracting since the bust itself is nicely intact (see close-up of the penultimate photo).

The bust is firmly mounted on the base and the entire object (both parts together) is 18 cm tall, 9 cm wide, and 9 cm deep, weighing about 1.3 kilograms.

The object is shipped immediately after purchase with a Track & Trace shipment, very securely packaged.