Leone Minassian (1905-1978) - Senza Titolo

Origin

The artwork comes from the furnishings of the historic Venetian hotel Bonvecchiati, founded in the 1950s, whose paintings were part of the Deana collection. The hotel was established by the Venetian entrepreneur and collector Arturo Deana, a well-known cultural figure in the city, who in 1929 purchased what would become the famous restaurant 'La Colomba'. It would be nothing unusual if not for the fact that among the patrons were names like Tosi, Morandi, De Pisis, Chagall, Kokoshka, and Picasso.

It was a wonderful time for art in Venice, thanks also to the presence of Peggy Gugghnheim. Arturo Deana became increasingly passionate about painting, also thanks to his close friendship with the poet Diego Valeri and the gallerist Carlo Cardazzo, founder and owner of the Galleria del Cavallino since 1942, a historic Venetian gallery and one of the most renowned in Italy in the second half of the 20th century.

Deana's passion for art led him to enhance the Bonvecchiati hotel with part of his private collection and to establish in 1946 the 'La Colomba Painting Prize', after the interruption of the Venice Biennale due to wartime reasons. The event's success was such that it was dubbed the 'Little Biennale'. In 1953, the 'International Competition for a La Colomba Menu' was born, with its first edition attracting as many as 300 artists.

Author

Leone Minassian (Constantinople, 1905 – Milan, 1978) was an Italian painter and engraver of Armenian origin. Moving to Italy at a young age, he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, aligning himself with the avant-garde currents of the early twentieth century. His early painting reveals influences of expressionism and symbolism, but over time he developed a visionary and personal style characterized by distorted figures, intense colors, and unsettling atmospheres.
Settling in Milan after the war, he participated in numerous national exhibitions, gaining increasing critical recognition. Alongside painting, he cultivated graphics and printmaking, fields in which he achieved remarkable technical refinement. His works reflect deep psychological introspection and a dramatic imagination. Today, he is remembered as a reserved and original artist, capable of combining figurative tradition with modern expressive tension.


Description

Oil on canvas, measuring 40x34 cm with its original frame of 25x18 cm; the canvas alone, in excellent condition, part of the Deana collection. On the back, there is a label from the Bonvecchiati Hotel in Venice, registered with the number S 42. The work is signed and dated at the bottom left, Venice 1963.


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