Piero Dorazio *

(Rome 1927–2005 Perugia)
Untitled, 1962, signed on the reverse, oil on canvas, 100 x 81 cm, framed

This work is registered in the Archivio Piero Dorazio, Milan and is accompanied by a photo certificate of authenticity

Provenance:
European Private Collection (acquired from the artist in 1962)
Sale, Sotheby’s, Milan, 23 November 1999, lot 225 (teared label on the reverse)
Giancarlo Folco Collection, Vicenza (plate on the reverse)
Sale, Christie’s London (The Italian Sale), 11 October 2012, lot 85
European Private Collection


In the post-war artistic landscape, the Gruppo Forma 1 emerged as one of the most significant and innovative movements, redefining the boundaries of abstract art in Italy while engaging in dialogue with international avant-gardes. Founded in 1947 by a group of artists, critics, and intellectuals—including Carla Accardi, Piero Dorazio, Sanfilippo, and Turcato—the movement sought to overcome figurative conventions and explore an artistic language based on the purity of form, color, and sign contributing significantly to the development of Italian abstract art and its international recognition.
In this context, Piero Dorazio was a pioneer of abstract painting, focusing on the decomposition of light and color. His works, often built through intricate grids of lines and chromatic fields, create luminous weaves that evoke visual dynamism, partly anticipated by Balla’s experiments in the Compenetrazioni iridescenti. Dorazio, who frequently visited Balla at his home on Via Oslavia in Rome, was among the first to recognize the innovative nature of the master's studies, rediscovering his work between 1958 and 1960, a period when Balla’s name still suffered the damnatio memoriae of Futurism due to its association with Fascism.
At that moment, Dorazio was on the verge of a breakthrough that, through his subsequent research, would take him beyond national borders, establishing a deep dialogue with overseas abstract movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism (one might think of Rothko, Stella, and Albers), thereby building a bridge between tradition and modernity.
Untitled 1962, constructed through an intricate web of vibrant lines and chromatic fields, becomes a visual texture that captures and refracts light, creating an optical dynamism that engages the viewer. He transforms geometric structure into a perceptual experience, demonstrating how abstraction can be both rigorous and poetic—a masterpiece that encapsulates his commitment to a free and universal art.