Oil on wood, partly scratched, 30 x 24.8 cm, framed under glass. Signed 'TATO' in black lower right, verso numbered and titled '47 "Natura"' by the artist as well and inscribed "26 x 30", probably by an unknown hand. - Good condition. The varnish somewhat irregularly applied.
Guglielmo Sansoni was an Italian Futurist and a leading representative of 'aeropittura' (aeropainting). In 1920, he staged a fictitious funeral in order to 'die' as an ordinary citizen and be 'reborn' under the nom d'artiste Tato. In the mid-1920s, he settled in Rome, and in 1929, together with the founder of Futurism, the writer Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, and other Futurist artists, he published the 'Manifesto dell'Aeropittura'. 'Aeropittura', as a style within Italian Futurism, was characterized by the glorification and the aesthetics of air travel and speed. Tato stood for a documentary, illustrative style of depiction. His paintings are typically distinguished by a palette of earth tones and by an ornamental articulation of the pictorial space. Tato is not only responsible for a large body of paintings, but also for a rich photographic oeuvre. He recorded his experiences in the Futurist movement in his autobiography, 'Tato raccontato da Tato, vent'anni di futurism', published in 1941.
Certificate
With a photo-certificate from Salvatore Ventura, Bergamo, dated 1 June 2012. The work will be included in the catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.
Provenance
Hermann Hörner, Schwäbisch Gmünd 1904-1967, probably acquired in Italy from the artist, since then private possession, Southern Germany