The Thinking Italian session returns as a protagonist in a Paris auction by Christie’s, once again focusing on the great Italian masters of the 20th century.
How Christie’s revives Thinking Italian in Paris
The catalogs of the new edition of Thinking Italian at Christie’s Paris have been unveiled for the mid-April sales. The works of the Italian masters of the 20th century converge in the 20th/21st Century: Paris Evening Sale on April 15, 2026, with additional lots included in the Art Contemporain sessions on April 16 and Art Impressionniste & Moderne on April 17, 2026.
The Parisian selections are previewed in Italy: after the exhibition in Turin at ERSEL, the works arrive in Milan, at Palazzo Clerici, on March 24 and 25, 2026, and then in Rome, at the Hotel de Russie, on March 30 and 31. In this way, the French house consolidates the dialogue between the international market and Italian collecting.
Why Mario Schifano is at the center of the catalog
At the heart of the evening catalog, which integrates the Thinking Italian section, stand out at least two significant works by Mario Schifano (Holms, Libya 1934 – Rome 1998). The artist is simultaneously at the center of a vast retrospective at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, confirming a critical and market attention in constant growth.
The first work, Untitled, dated 1963, comes from the private collection of the critic and art historian Maurizio Calvesi. Absent from the market for about twenty years, it now reappears in the Paris auction with an estimate of 120,000–180,000 euros, after being exhibited at the Magazzino Italian Art in New York in the exhibition “Mario Schifano: The Rise of the ’60s” (September 2023 – January 2024).
What is the role of Schifano’s American period
The second lot by Schifano was executed in 1964 and bears the full title View Beyond the Hudson River (To Anita Pallenberg), Gigli d’acqua, with an estimate of 200,000–300,000 euros. The work belongs to the painter’s American period and is dedicated to Anita Pallenberg, an Italian-German actress and model, a central figure in the culture of the Sixties and former owner of the painting.
Pallenberg met Schifano in Rome, between Via Margutta and the Caffè Rosati in Piazza del Popolo, and then followed him to the United States. Their intense and turbulent relationship seems to reverberate in the canvas now proposed in Paris, also inspired by the vision of Claude Ninfee by Monet at the MoMA in New York. In this biographical and iconographic intertwining, the dialogue between Italian culture and international references is captured.
How Scarpitta dominates Thinking Italian
While Schifano leads the pictorial component, an equally central role is entrusted to Salvatore Scarpitta, a protagonist with a monumental work on bandaged canvas. The work South Turn (1962), from the Turin collection of Franca Buffa, enters the catalog with an estimate of 400,000–600,000 euros, among the highest in the Italian section.
The plastic surface, made with intertwined bands in green and dark red, accentuates the sculptural character of the painting. Moreover, the provenance is of historical significance: the work has passed through the gallery of Leo Castelli in New York and the Galleria Notizie in Turin, tracing a path that places it at the heart of the international art system of the post-war period.
Which other Italian masters emerge in Paris
Alongside Scarpitta, the section dedicated to Italian art offers a significant chromatic grid by Piero Dorazio, Mira I (1959), with an estimate of 140,000–180,000 euros. Compared to other contemporary works, this reticular structure exemplifies Dorazio’s research on the interplay of light and color in an abstract key.
Another highlight is the triptych Mobile (1974) by Ettore Spalletti, valued at 100,000–150,000 euros and never before appeared on the market after direct acquisition from the artist by the current owner. Completing the Italian core is a Piazza d’Italia by Giorgio de Chirico (1965), estimated at 150,000–200,000 euros, which dialogues with the metaphysical tradition, and other lots distributed among the various Parisian sessions.
What does this edition of Thinking Italian indicate for the market
Overall, the new proposal by Christie’s in Paris confirms the constant interest in the Italian masters of the 20th century within the broader 20th/21st Century segment. The concentration of works by Schifano, Scarpitta, Dorazio, Spalletti, and de Chirico highlights how the Italian scene continues to structurally dialogue with international collecting.
That said, the weight of provenances, museum retrospectives, and passages in historical galleries appears decisive in the construction of estimates. In this sense, Thinking Italian consolidates itself as a strategic platform in the Paris auctions, contributing to strengthening the global visibility of 20th-century Italian art.
For further market contexts, reports from Christie’s, analyses from Artprice, and data from The Art Newspaper can be consulted.
IMAGE: Mario Schifano, View Beyond the Hudson River (To Anita Pellenberg), Gigli d’acqua, 1964. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
