Mid 20th Century Original Luciano Spazzali Painting "Figura Con Strumento"

Description

This is a beautiful original painting by Italian artist Luciano Spazzali which I discovered at an estate sale just outside … more This is a beautiful original painting by Italian artist Luciano Spazzali which I discovered at an estate sale just outside of Los Angeles.

Spazzali (1911-1997) was a modernist painter known for his imaginative style and extraordinary technique. He studied in Bologna at The Academy of Art in the 1930s before moving further north to Piacenza in the 1940s where he mixed with such luminaries as visual artist Gustavo Foppiani.
Spazzali began exhibiting his work in 1951 and soon became the "new sensation'. The 1950s saw him create some of his greatest pieces and as a result he was recognized with numerous awards including the Internazionale d’Arte in Genoa, the Premio Suzzara, the Marzotto prize, the Michetti Prize (in 1953, 1958 and 1959) and the four-year Roman Award stipend (1965). His pieces are prominent in many public galleries throughout the USA and Europe, and they are highly sought after by private collectors.

This particular piece is entitled "Figura Con Strumento" ("Figure With Tool") and was painted by Spazzali in 1957. It shows a beautiful rosy cheeked dark haired woman playing a lute under a glowing full moon .

Spazzali's signature has faded somewhat over the decades but one can just make it out in the bottom left hand corner. Oil on paper, laid on board, this painting is in fabulous condition though it does show (beautiful) signs of age and wear one would expect on a piece such as this. It sits in a drop / deep frame with a gilt-style finish. On the back it is marked: "original work by living artist... figura con strumento... painter... spazzali luciano italy". I've seen a similar works by Spazzali with exactly the same markings on the reverse. Obviously at some point this piece was part of a larger collection of Spazzali paintings.

The frame measures 14 3/4" height x 13 1/8" width x 1 1/2" depth.
The actual painting itself measures 12 7/8" height x 11 1/4" width.
The whole thing (painting + frame) weighs 2lb 2oz. less