Collection of Monica Filgueiras, São Paulo (gifted from the artist and Hércules Barsotti) Acquired from the above by the present owner
Catalogue Essay
Willys de Castro was a painter, printmaker, draughtsman, graphic artist and stage designer. He studied industrial design and chemistry until 1948 and later enrolled in an apprenticeship in graphic arts. In 1954 de Castro founded an advertising consultancy Estúdios de Projetos Gráficos (Graphic Studio Project) with the artist Hércules Barsotti. The present lot was gifted to the gallerist Monica Filgueiras and is an important example of his early works that relates closely to a work in the permanent collection of the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo. These early works would later inform his highly experimental and iconic series Objetos ativos (Active Objects) that questioned the pictorial role of the canvas by exploring the possibilities of two-dimensional planes and volume. De Castro joined Grupo Neoconcretista in Rio de Janeiro in 1969 and soon became a leading figure. Ultimately, his early works, exemplified in the present work lot and the Objetos ativos series created a pioneering precedence for future minimalist works, stretching the boundaries of two-dimensional painting and geometric abstraction.
signed, dedicated and dated "WILLYS DE CASTRO - 1957/58" on the reverse gouache on collaged paper on cardboard 3 1/2 x 12 1/4 in. (8.9 x 31.1 cm) Executed in 1957 - 1958.
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Contact Specialist Kaeli Deane
Head of Sale, Latin American Art
New York
+1 212 940 1352
