Alberto Magnelli
Alberto Magnelli, Composition 66, from XXe siecle, 1938
1938

Name: Alberto Magnelli, Composition 66, from XXe siecle, 1938
Brand: Alberto Magnelli
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About the Item

This exquisite linocut by Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971), titled Composition 66, from the album XXe siecle, Chroniques du jour, 13 rue Valette (5e), Directeur G. di San Lazzaro, Sommaire du no. 4, Noel, 1938, originates from the 1938 edition published by Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris, in collaboration with Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris. Composition 66 embodies Magnelli’s refined geometric abstraction, where rhythm and harmony converge in a pure dialogue of form and color. Executed as a linocut on velin paper, this work measures 12.5 × 9.75 inches (31.75 × 24.77 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris. Artwork Details: Artist: Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971) Title: Composition 66, from the album XXe siecle, Chroniques du jour, 13 rue Valette (5e), Directeur G. di San Lazzaro, Sommaire du no. 4, Noel, 1938 Medium: Linocut on velin paper Dimensions: 12.5 × 9.75 inches (31.75 × 24.77 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued Date: 1938 Publisher: Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris, in collaboration with Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris Catalogue raisonne references: Magnelli, Alberto, and Daniel Abadie. Magnelli: Les Estampes: Catalogue Raisonne. Ides et Calendes, 2011, illustration 66 Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album XXe siecle, Chroniques du jour, 13 rue Valette (5e), Directeur G. di San Lazzaro, Sommaire du no. 4, Noel, 1938, published by Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris About the Publication: Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's XXe Siecle (Twentieth Century) was one of the most influential art journals of the modern era, founded in Paris in 1938 as a platform for the greatest painters, sculptors, and writers of the 20th century. San Lazzaro, a visionary editor, critic, and champion of modernism, believed that art and literature should coexist as expressions of a shared human imagination. Under his direction, XXe Siecle became a cultural bridge between Europe and the wider world, publishing special issues devoted to leading figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, Miro, Kandinsky, and Leger. Each edition combined essays by renowned critics and poets with original lithographs printed by the foremost ateliers of Paris, including Mourlot, Arte, and Bellini, creating a uniquely rich dialogue between text and image. Through XXe Siecle, San Lazzaro preserved the creative spirit of the avant-garde during and after World War II, championing freedom of expression and the evolution of abstraction, Surrealism, and modern thought. Over nearly four decades, the journal shaped international taste and defined the intellectual landscape of postwar art publishing. Today, XXe Siecle remains celebrated for its extraordinary synthesis of art, literature, and design, an enduring testament to Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's belief that the visual arts are the soul of the modern age. About the Artist: Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971) was an Italian-born pioneer of geometric abstraction whose visionary synthesis of structure, rhythm, and color established him as one of the central figures of modern art. A self-taught artist from Florence, Magnelli began within the Italian Futurist movement before developing a lyrical and intellectual abstraction that bridged Cubism, Constructivism, and the postwar Nouvelle Ecole de Paris. His evolution was shaped by his encounters with Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray—artists whose innovations helped inspire his exploration of form and spirit. From Picasso, he learned the analytical construction of space; from Kandinsky, the spiritual power of abstraction; from Miro and Calder, the poetry of rhythm and geometry; and from Duchamp and Man Ray, the conceptual depth of visual thought. By the 1920s, Magnelli had moved beyond representation to create compositions of pure form and color—interlocking planes that evoke harmony and equilibrium rather than chaos or emotion. After moving to Paris in 1932, he became part of an avant-garde circle that included Miro, Arp, and Taeuber-Arp, and during World War II, while exiled in Grasse with Miro and Arp, he produced his celebrated periode des pierres (“stone period”), a series of meditative abstractions that expressed calm and resilience through balanced geometric forms and luminous tones. In the postwar years, Magnelli emerged as a leading figure of European abstraction, his compositions growing increasingly architectural and musical—painted harmonies of shape and proportion that prefigured the minimalist and color field movements. He believed that abstraction could express universal truths through structure and rhythm, combining the intellectual rigor of Constructivism with the lyrical sensibility of spiritual modernism. Exhibited widely in the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and major retrospectives, his works entered the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and MoMA, where they remain celebrated for their timeless balance of clarity and warmth. Magnelli’s art influenced later generations, including Victor Vasarely, Ellsworth Kelly, and Sean Scully, who admired his fusion of geometry and emotion. Standing alongside Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Alberto Magnelli endures as one of the great architects of modern abstraction—a visionary who transformed geometry into poetry and color into spiritual resonance. His highest auction record was achieved by Fleurs et coquillages (1931), which sold for $1.26 million USD at Sotheby’s, Paris, on December 3, 2014, reaffirming Magnelli’s enduring legacy as one of the most refined, influential, and collectible abstract painters of the 20th century. Alberto Magnelli Composition 66, Magnelli XXe siecle, Magnelli 1938 linocut, Magnelli Mourlot, Magnelli velin paper, Magnelli abstraction, Magnelli collectible print.

Creator:
Alberto Magnelli (1888-1971, Italian)
Creation Year:
1938
Dimensions:
Height: 12.4 in (31.5 cm)Width: 9.65 in (24.52 cm)
Medium:
Linocut
Movement & Style:
Modern
Period:
1930-1939
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Southampton, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1465216659792