Paris – Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is pleased to announce its upcoming Post-War & Contemporary Art sale on Thursday 5 December, in Paris. The auction will feature an exciting selection of works, including a section dedicated to Abstraction, with major pieces by Pierre Soulages, Hans Hartung, Nicolas de Staël, one of which has not been seen for years. Additionally, there will be a selection of Arte Povera works, in alignment with the ongoing exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection in Paris. The sale will also showcase a group of Optical and Kinetic works, including a pristine piece by Carlos Cruz-Diez.

Giacomo Balsamo, Bonhams International Director of Post-War & Contemporary Art, commented: "These Arte Povera and Post-War works mark a significant turning point in art history, as artists began to move beyond traditional practices and materials. This movement has had a lasting influence on contemporary art. The works in this sale have been curated by a refined collector with an eye for excellence, and we anticipate great excitement when they come to auction this December."

In the Post-war section, a 1951 Composition by Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955) estimated at €1,000,000-1,500,000 is a vibrant painting coming from a French collection. De Staël's innovative technique of layering-coloured textures conveys a powerful sense of space and light, showcasing his mastery of tonal variation.

Signed and inscribed with the address of his Montparnasse studio, an important work from 1949 by Pierre Soulages (1919-2022) is offered with an estimate of €1,000,000 to 1,500,000 after remaining in the collection of art critic Guy Merester for 40 years. This work marks a pivotal moment in Soulages' career and foreshadows the stained-glass windows at Conques.

Other Post-war highlights include T1951-5 by Hans Hartung (1904-1989), with an estimate of €600,000-800,000. This dynamic work, given to a collector in the 1980s, features Hartung's signature rhythms and composition.

Untitled, 1989, by Pier Paolo Calzolari (born 1943), a major figure of the Arte Povera movement, leads a strong selection of Arte Povera works. Untitled, executed in 1989, is firmly rooted in the Italian movement's ambition to challenge the hierarchies of artistic media in the late 1960s to early 70s. The work has an estimate of €90,000-120,000.

Pier Paolo Calzolari has, since the 1960s, been developing work that revolves around a few recurring materials: tobacco leaf, salt, fire, frost, copper or lead. They play a role in a very personal universe, where each element both undergoes and produces transformations. Salt and ice conserve, but they can occasionally burn like fire. His art is inspired by a Franciscan vision of the world, which envisioned a relationship of equality between beings - be they human or animal.

Also in the sale is an artwork by one of the original members of Arte Povera, Untitled from 1977, by Mario Merz (1925-2003), executed with snail, clay, spray paint, oil stick and watercolour on cardboard. It has an estimate of €40,000-60,000. Another gem included in this section is a poetic artwork by Pino Pascali (1935-1968) with an estimate of €10,000 to 15,000.

Other Italian highlights include Superficie n°682, by Giuseppe Capogrossi (1900-1972). The work executed in 1966 has been exhibited in 1969 and is offered with an estimate of €35,000-55,000 and Candidly, 1962 by Piero Dorazio (1927-2005), described as an oil and pastel on paper laid on canvas and estimated at €50,000-70,000.

Other highlights of the sale include:

Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923-2019), Physichromie N°2818 (2019) – Estimated at €80,000-120,000, this chromography on aluminum is a prime example of Cruz-Diez's kinetic art, where the viewer's shifting perspective brings the work to life.

Georges Mathieu (1921-2012), Parfum triste (1988) – An oil on canvas, estimated at €80,000-120,000, this work embodies Mathieu's dynamic use of gestural abstraction.