Art Miami director Nick Korniloff with the maestro, who sold six major works during this important contemporary art fair, pictured at the home of prominent Florida collectors Bob and Florence Werner.
Hot on the heels of his November SOFA CHICAGO sale of a major installation for a quarter-of-a-million dollars, the Italian glass master Lino Tagliapietra triumphed at one of the most important contemporary art fairs, where six of his works sold at the 2010 Art Miami this past weekend. While his sales prices may have been a fraction of the figures fetched by work by some of the most-established 20th-century artists such as Alexander Calder (whose work Smeary sold for $550,000 at Mark Borghi Fine Art) or Helen Frankenthaler (whose painting sold for $475,000 at Scott White Contemporary Art), Tagliapietra’s prices, and the number of sales, caught the attention of Internet publications such as artdaily.org reporting on the fair.
Lino Tagliapietra's work Atlantis, which sold for $43,000, was one of six individual pieces that sold during the art fair that ran from December 1st through the 5th.
“The show was very successful, with six individual pieces selling at show to new clients along with a major wall installation commission,” Jim Schantz of Schantz Galleries told the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet. “We felt Lino’s work was very well received and appreciated by the collectors at the exhibition. We’re very pleased that we can present the work to this new audience. Overall, there was very positive energy for artists, collectors and gallerists.”
In addition to the sale of the vessel Atlantis, pictured at left, with extraordinary canework referencing nautical depth charts, Schantz also sold two “Ostuni” series works ($53,000 apiece), a Dinosaur ($63,000), a vessel from the “Hopi” series ($49,000), and a Mandara ($45,000).
Interestingly, though Schantz Galleries brought four of Tagliapietra flat, wall-mounted panels to Art Miami, it was the maestro’s established vessel forms that generated the significant number of sales. Florida collectors Bob and Florence Werner hosted a breakfast in their home in honor of Tagliapietra on Saturday morning, which drew Art Miami director Nick Korniloff, and helped build enthusiasm for the work on display at the Art Miami Pavillion.
The Breakfast Club (L to R): Jim Schantz, Kim Saul, Bob Werner, Florence Werner, Lino Tagliapietra, Nick Korniloff.