Futurisme Buste - Verzamelobject - Renato Bertelli (1900-1974) - Bust, Profile continuo del Duce - 180 mm - Alabaster - 1995

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

At first glance, this does not look like a bust, but upon closer inspection, one will be amazed to see the characteristic profile of Mussolini with his strong jawline on all sides of this artwork.

Hence the title 'Continuous Profile of the Duce', as one can see the profile of Mussolini continuously (360 degrees wide) in it, no matter which side one turns the object: the profile remains continuously visible, both left and right, front and back!

The ingenious design was (and still is) considered highly groundbreaking, innovative and progressive for its time, and evokes similarities with a mechanical component from the machine age, which fit in with Mussolini's self-proclaimed image as a defender of the working class.

The bust, very unusual in design, also symbolized "the omnipresent leader who always kept an eye on everything and everyone".

Italian art critic Marco Moretti put it this way: The plastic dynamism of this profile of the Duce, visible from every point, launched "without rhetoric the metaphor of a vigilant and sleepless leader who sees and watches over everything."

In concept, the design is related to stop-motion photography, and this did not go unnoticed by the famous photographer Robert Mapplethorpe: He made a famous art photograph of an example of this bust (see Google 'Mapplethorpe Mussolini bust').

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

The bust is firmly mounted on the base, and the entire object (the two parts together) measures 18 cm in height, 10 cm in width, and 10 cm in depth, weighing approximately 1.2 kilograms.

The item will be shipped immediately after purchase with a Track & Trace shipment, very securely packaged.