ROTELLA Mimmo

ROTELLA Mimmo

Mimmo ROTELLA (1918–2006)

“Le Bal”

Oil on newspaper.

Monogrammed “R.”

An exceptional and highly personal work by Italian artist Mimmo Rotella (1918–2006), titled Le Bal, executed in oil on newspaper and distinguished by its remarkable provenance and direct connection to the celebrated 1983 film of the same title.

This Mimmo Rotella painting belonged to Italian film producer Giorgio Silvagni, who was a close personal friend of Mimmo Rotella. According to its provenance, Rotella offered this painting directly to Silvagni in recognition of the extraordinary success of Le Bal, directed by renowned Italian screenwriter and filmmaker Ettore Scola (1931–2016) and produced by Silvagni.

At the 1984 César Awards, Le Bal received major recognition, including the César for Best Film, Best Director and Best Music, marking an important moment in the history of the production. Rotella’s gift to his friend Giorgio Silvagni therefore carries a particularly intimate significance, connecting the worlds of postwar Italian art and European cinema.

The choice of newspaper as the support is especially characteristic of Rotella’s artistic vocabulary. Throughout his career, the artist explored the visual language of contemporary urban culture, mass media, advertising and cinema. His celebrated experiments with posters, printed materials and décollage established him as one of the most innovative figures in postwar European art.

In Le Bal, the use of newspaper creates a direct dialogue between painting and printed media. The work becomes not only an artistic composition but also an object intimately connected to the cultural environment in which Rotella lived and worked.

Provenance: Giorgio Silvagni, Italian film producer and close friend of Mimmo Rotella. Gifted directly by the artist to Silvagni in connection with the success of Le Bal and its recognition at the 1984 César Awards.

A particularly evocative Mimmo Rotella painting combining art, friendship and cinema, Le Bal offers a remarkable personal connection between Mimmo Rotella, Giorgio Silvagni and Ettore Scola.

Price : Upon Request

Materials / Techniques: Oil on paper