Estimate
€ 800 - 1.200
Aggiudicato
Current bid Starting bid
€ 500
Your offer is the highest Your bid doesn't meet the reserve price La tua offerta è stata superata(0 bids, reserve not met)
At auction on Wednesday 18 June 2025 at 16:00
Information
Vintage gelatin silver print
cm 23 x 28,7 | 9.1 x 11.3 in.
Titled and dated in pencil with photographer's credit stamps on the verso
Living in one of the most constantly photographed cities, Paolo Monti always chose to do so by deliberately avoiding any rhetoric and any aspect of the reassuring vision so beloved by tourists. With his stark black and white, he moved outside the well-known paths to explore the more working-class areas, the glimpses of reality, the walls where posters peel away, faded by humidity. In one shot of a calle, he plays with the light passing through the transparency of hanging laundry and their shadows stretching across the ground, letting the eye glide along the weathered wall on the right before settling on the background, where a female figure moves lightly. Ironically contemplative, “La domenica degli immigrati” turns what could have been a classic amateur photography exercise into a powerful synthesis of the contradictions of the postwar world: on one side, the great internal migratory flows; on the other, signs of industrialization which, along with prosperity, also brought environmental damage, as shown and symbolized by the columns of smoke. In this image, one can discern the influence, not only aesthetic, of American photography from the Farm Security Administration, which Monti knows well.
cm 23 x 28,7 | 9.1 x 11.3 in.
Titled and dated in pencil with photographer's credit stamps on the verso
Literature
P. Monti (edited by), Milano negli anni Cinquanta, Istituto di Fotografia Paolo Monti, Milano, 1986, p. 127G. Chiaramonte (edited by), Paolo Monti Fotografie 1950-1980, Federico Motta Editore, Milan, 1983, pl. 72
Paolo Monti (Novara 1908 – Milan 1982), graduated in economics, moved to Venice to work for the Agricultural Consortium of Veneto. There, he shared his passion for photography with a group of friends and, inspired by news of the founding of the Milanese group La Bussola, he founded the La Gondola photography club in 1948. Under his guidance, it became an important point of reference and helped bring to light talents such as Fulvio Roiter. In 1953, he moved to Milan, where, as a professional photographer, he documented the city’s transformation, contributed to magazines and books, and collaborated with publishing houses. Beginning in 1965, he carried out an original study of Bologna’s urban landscape in collaboration with architect Cervellati. In 1967, the Milanese gallery Il Diaframma opened with an exhibition of his chemigrams and abstract photographs. Living in one of the most constantly photographed cities, Paolo Monti always chose to do so by deliberately avoiding any rhetoric and any aspect of the reassuring vision so beloved by tourists. With his stark black and white, he moved outside the well-known paths to explore the more working-class areas, the glimpses of reality, the walls where posters peel away, faded by humidity. In one shot of a calle, he plays with the light passing through the transparency of hanging laundry and their shadows stretching across the ground, letting the eye glide along the weathered wall on the right before settling on the background, where a female figure moves lightly. Ironically contemplative, “La domenica degli immigrati” turns what could have been a classic amateur photography exercise into a powerful synthesis of the contradictions of the postwar world: on one side, the great internal migratory flows; on the other, signs of industrialization which, along with prosperity, also brought environmental damage, as shown and symbolized by the columns of smoke. In this image, one can discern the influence, not only aesthetic, of American photography from the Farm Security Administration, which Monti knows well.
Contact
Condition report
To request a Condition Report, please contact fotografia@finarte.it
The department will provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that what Finarte declares with respect to the state of conservation of the objects corresponds only to a qualified opinion and that we are not professional conservators or restorers.
We urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. We always suggest prospective buyers to inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition during the exhibition days as indicated in the catalog.
