Carla Accardi Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Carla Accardi was born in Trapani on 9 October 1924. After obtaining her classical high school diploma, in 1943 she obtained her artistic high school diploma as a freelancer, then studied at the Academies of Fine Arts in Palermo and Florence. Read the full biography

Guide to Carla Accardi price quotations

Production

Carla Accardi's artistic production is anchored to the first abstractionist research movements after the Second World War which found fertile ground in various Italian cities, giving rise to real movements such as the MAC in the Como area, Classical Abstractionism in Florence and Forma1 in Rome, of which Accardi was representative for the entire duration of its existence (1947-1952) together with her husband Antonio Sanfilippo and then Piero Dorazio, Giulio Turcato, Pietro Consagra, Ugo Attardi, Mino Guerrini and Wladimiro Tulli.

Its expressive form evolved from the end of the 1940s throughout the second fifty years of the 20th century through the research, definition and further evolution of a sign pattern that defines the typical nature of its iconography. The '50s are characterized by the use of black and white while the '60s open the way to color and the use of Sicofoil as a support (a plastic material that allows the use of a new alternative dimension to canvas, through the its transparency) which determines part of his production in the following decade and the introduction of real sculptures/installations. The 80s and 90s saw a return to the sign as a protagonist and its evolution in color terms consistent with contemporary culture compliant with pop art and graffiti.

How to evaluate a work by Carla Accardi

The necessary condition to be able to approach an evaluation process for a work by Carla Accardi is to be certain of its authenticity which can only be ascertained in the presence of confirmation in the form of a written certificate from the Accardi Sanfilippo Archive in Via Del Babuino in Rome, directed by the artist's daughter Antonella Sanfilippo.

Other characteristics that must then be considered to determine the specific historical context of the work and its technical structure are the provenance, any publications and bibliography, the technique, the year of execution, the dimensions and last but not least, the state of conservation.

Detailing the history of a work always guarantees greater commercial attractiveness, especially in the presence of origins from authoritative collections or official publications. There are two general catalogues, both edited by Germano Celant, one published by Charta in 1999 and the second by Silvana in 2011. Accardi also participated in six Venice biennials.

In the case of multiple works (printed on paper, canvas or sculpted), the print run must be considered more carefully, which indisputably indicates the number of copies produced.

Brackets and coefficient

Once the certainty of authenticity has been determined, historical data from past sales of works that share the same historical, technical and qualitative characteristics with the specimen to be evaluated must be traced. Such data can be extrapolated with an expert eye from the catalogs and price lists of auction houses but also from private and gallery sales that only the experience of the professional appraiser can know.

In light of these considerations we can identify some scales and evaluation parameters that will allow us to briefly identify the value of a work. Usually the sum of these factors is indicated with the name of coefficient which is nothing other than a numerical index expressed in points which will be multiplied by the dimensions of the work (identified in the sum of the base and height) to be evaluated. Clearly only the intervention of an expert evaluator will be able to determine whether or not the operation is valid.

Market

Carla Accardi's performance over the last ten years has been in constant growth with a marked increase over the past year. This condition indicates a moment of good maturity in the prices of his works and a still lively state of demand. Given the historical and cultural consistency of the artist and his constant presence on the market, there is no reason to think that it cannot be a good investment in the long term, but given the recent developments the current moment is ideal for sale, especially for those purchased not recently or inherited.

Values

1950s: for medium-sized works on canvas the coefficient can vary from approximately 6 to 9 points (for a 50x70 work for example the estimate could vary from 60,000 to 100,000 euros

For works on paper about half

1960s: for medium-sized works on canvas the coefficient can vary from approximately 3 to 7 points (for a 50x70 work for example the estimate could vary from 40,000 to 85,000 euros

For works on paper about half

1970s: for medium-sized works on sicofoil the coefficient can vary from approximately 2.5 to 4 points (for a 50x70 work for example the estimate could vary from 30,000 to 50,000 euros

Subsequent years: for medium-sized works on canvas the coefficient can vary from approximately 2.5 to 5 points (for a 50x70 work for example the estimate could vary from 30,000 to 60,000 euros

For works on paper about half

Carla Accardi Biography

Carla Accardi was born in Trapani on 9 October 1924. After obtaining her classical high school diploma, in 1943 she obtained her artistic high school diploma as a freelancer, then studied at the Academies of Fine Arts in Palermo and Florence. In 1946 she settled in Rome with the painter Antonio Sanfilippo, with whom she married a few years later. He frequented art circles and Pietro Consagra's studio, where he met artists such as Attardi, Dorazio, Guerrini, Perilli and Turcato, with whom he signed the manifesto of the Forma 1 group in 1947. Abroad he held his first solo exhibition at the Gallery Florence issue in 1950.

In the 1950s his language moved towards abstraction, reduced to symbols and in black and white, approaching the study of the great informal artists. Critic and promoter of the movement, Michel Tappi, invited her to participate in the various exhibitions he curated in Italy and abroad between 1954 and 1959. In the 1960s, joining the Continuity group, color restoration appeared in her works, accompanied by references to metropolitan culture and optical effects. His research is characterized by constant experimentation, radicalized in the use of transparent plastic supports which accentuate the nature of the painting as a luminous diaphragm. The Venice Biennale has several participations: 1964, 1976 and 1978.

In the 1980s he returned to canvas and his language changed further through the use of symbols and chromatic juxtapositions. He exhibited again at the Venice Biennale in 1988 and participated in the major historical exhibitions of Italian art, including "Italian Transfiguration 1943-1968" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (1994). In 1996 she was appointed member of the Brera Academy and the following year she became a consultant to the Venice Biennale Committee. His works can be found in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Castello di Rivoli (Turin), the Civic Gallery of Modena and Bologna, the Royal Palace of Milan and the Civic Museum of Turin. .. Acardi died in Rome on 23 February 2014.