A new world auction record was set when the rendition of a dancer painted by the Italian Gino Severini in 1915 climbed to £15.04 million, making it the most expensive Futurist work ever auctioned. “Everything is in movement, everything rushes forward, everything is in constant swift change,” the 1910 Futurist Manifesto proclaimed. In contrast to French Cubism, which influenced Futurism but was static, Severini’s “Danseuse” gives the impression of being caught in a swirling movement. The light tonalities distinguish it from the severe compositions of Braque and Picasso in their early Cubist phase.
Severini’s “Danseuse” has a significant place in the history of Modern art in the United States. The famed New York dealer Alfred Stieglitz received it from the Italian artist for his 1917 one-man show. More giclee prints