Ivanhoe Gambini Ceramic Tableau, Italy 1940s

This unique and spectacular work of art was created by the late Italian artist Ivanhoé Gambini in the 1940s. He was an architect who joined the Futurism movement in 1928. By 1936, the artist was no longer contributing to futuristic narratives, focusing instead on architectural renderings in the technical department of the municipality of Busto Arsizio. In this context, he has highlighted the innovative quality of the projects, the architectural solutions he devised, and the modernization of the materials used. After that, he emerged and manifested himself more as an artist and he was one of the forerunners in the use of techniques such as color spraying and airbrushing. The work we show here is the specialty in which Gambini also believed himself to be a master. Namely, ceramics. Given the advanced use of ceramic techniques, this tableau was probably created around the 1940s. The wooden frame is also about the same age. Artistically, Gambini has reinterpreted prehistoric cave drawings with this work. The images of the first so-called figurative works of man as we know them from, for example, the caves of Lascaux in France are shown in this piece. We also see the silhouettes of deer and other animals. Against a hypnotic green-blue background, people holding spears and in other instances appearing to dance are beautifully rendered in an orange-yellow color. All are outlined in black, which makes the contrast even greater. The composition and style of this work are a kind of Keith Haring avant la lettre. There's a movement and a groove in it and the colors really pop out. It is signed in the bottom right corner and this work is in very good condition. The fifth tile counted from the bottom shows a small chip on the corner but this does not detract from the appearance of this attractive tableau.