Estimate
€ 4.000 - 6.000
Aggiudicato
Current bid Starting bid
€ 4.000
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At auction on Wednesday 18 June 2025 at 16:00
Information
Vintage gelatin silver print
cm 35,6 x 24,4 | 14 x 9.6 in.
Signed and dated with photographer's credit stamp on the verso
Text in pencil on the verso:
Doppia Tecnica: Fotogramma a luce inclinata (occhiali da sole) Proiezione di vela. Lavoro svolto tutto in camera oscura con composizione su velina (copertina di depliant per vacanze).
Franco Grignani (Pieve Porto Morone, Pavia 1908 - Milan 1999) graduated from Turin University with a degree in architecture and approached first the Second Futurism then the Constructivism and the Geometric Abstractionism. This led him to study visual perception and Gestalt psychology, which he applied to photography by operating torsions, deformations, rotations, and perspective reversals to solicit in the observer curious suggestions to create what he called “structural tensions.” To the research in the field of photography that anticipates Optical Art and led him to create exhibitions and appear in important collections he combined the profession of advertising, graphic designer and successful designer alongside his wife Jeanne, a talented illustrator. He worked for clients such as Pirelli, Necchi, Singer, Penguins Books, and Pura Lana Vergine, whose brand he designed. Exhibitions, books and awards certify him as one of the most interesting exponents of research photography not only in Italy.
These two examples illustrate very well Franco Grignani's flair, which already emerges in an early work from 1928 where the author demonstrates not only a remarkable creative imagination but also a great mastery of the camera obscura. Here the double exposure sees the image of a sailboat towering decisively and meticulously detailed over which is overlaid the tripled frame of a pair of glasses placed in such a way as to distort its shape and make its presence almost diaphanous. "‘Tensione Particolare’ is, on the contrary, a classic example of the visual interventions created with very precise attention (before the Polytechnic Grignani had attended the faculty of mathematics and it is evident) by the underlining of the clear contrast between the white and black areas softened, however, by the curved lines that guide the gaze from the center of the work to its high edge and then bring it back from the periphery to the center in a visual game full of fascination.
cm 35,6 x 24,4 | 14 x 9.6 in.
Signed and dated with photographer's credit stamp on the verso
Text in pencil on the verso:
Doppia Tecnica: Fotogramma a luce inclinata (occhiali da sole) Proiezione di vela. Lavoro svolto tutto in camera oscura con composizione su velina (copertina di depliant per vacanze).
Franco Grignani (Pieve Porto Morone, Pavia 1908 - Milan 1999) graduated from Turin University with a degree in architecture and approached first the Second Futurism then the Constructivism and the Geometric Abstractionism. This led him to study visual perception and Gestalt psychology, which he applied to photography by operating torsions, deformations, rotations, and perspective reversals to solicit in the observer curious suggestions to create what he called “structural tensions.” To the research in the field of photography that anticipates Optical Art and led him to create exhibitions and appear in important collections he combined the profession of advertising, graphic designer and successful designer alongside his wife Jeanne, a talented illustrator. He worked for clients such as Pirelli, Necchi, Singer, Penguins Books, and Pura Lana Vergine, whose brand he designed. Exhibitions, books and awards certify him as one of the most interesting exponents of research photography not only in Italy.
These two examples illustrate very well Franco Grignani's flair, which already emerges in an early work from 1928 where the author demonstrates not only a remarkable creative imagination but also a great mastery of the camera obscura. Here the double exposure sees the image of a sailboat towering decisively and meticulously detailed over which is overlaid the tripled frame of a pair of glasses placed in such a way as to distort its shape and make its presence almost diaphanous. "‘Tensione Particolare’ is, on the contrary, a classic example of the visual interventions created with very precise attention (before the Polytechnic Grignani had attended the faculty of mathematics and it is evident) by the underlining of the clear contrast between the white and black areas softened, however, by the curved lines that guide the gaze from the center of the work to its high edge and then bring it back from the periphery to the center in a visual game full of fascination.
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Condition report
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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.
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Estimate € 3.000 - 4.000
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