# Agostino Bonalumi artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/agostino-bonalumi/ Profile generated: 2026-05-04T21:53:23.749Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1935-07-10 - Death date: 2013-09-18 - Nationality: Italian - Movements: Abstract art - Common media: painting, sculpture, drawing, graphic art, assemblage ## About Agostino Bonalumi Agostino Bonalumi (1935–2013) was an Italian painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and graphic artist recognized for his contributions to post-war abstract art. Born in Vimercate near Milan, he spent his career working between Desio and Milan. The Library of Congress classifies his work under abstract painting and abstract sculpture, reflecting a practice that moved fluidly between two and three dimensions. Bonalumi is documented in major authority files including the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, RKD, and the Getty Union List of Artist Names. Over seven hundred auction lots attributed to him appear in Appraisily records, underscoring a sustained and active presence in the international secondary art market. ## Common works and media Common works encountered at auction include abstract paintings on canvas, shaped and relief canvases, sculptures in various media, limited-edition prints and graphic works, and assemblages. Bonalumi's practice bridged painting and sculpture, and works combining both approaches — particularly canvases with protruding structural elements — are especially characteristic of his output. ## Market and appraisal context Agostino Bonalumi maintains an active and well-documented secondary market spanning over two decades, with 502 total auction lots recorded and 336 of those carrying realized prices. Auction appearances date from December 2002 through March 2026, indicating sustained and continuous market interest. The price distribution is wide: recorded prices range from €20 at the low end (small works on paper, prints) to €425,000 at the high end, with a median of €23,000 and an interquartile range of €3,200–€61,500. This dispersion reflects the significant value difference between Bonalumi's characteristic shaped-canvas and extroflexion works—which regularly achieve five and six figures at major houses—and smaller editions, prints, and works on paper. The artist is represented at premier international auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, and Dorotheum, as well as a strong cohort of Italian houses (Finarte, Cambi Casa d'Aste, Il Ponte, Bertolami Fine Art, Pananti) that handle the majority of volume. Recent 12-month activity (20 priced lots) is slightly below the prior 12-month period (29 lots), suggesting a modest contraction in turnover but not a collapse; prices at the top end remain robust, with Sotheby's achieving €95,250 for "Giallo" (May 2025) and Christie's achieving €69,300 for another "Giallo" (April 2025). Market liquidity is healthy for mid-to-upper-tier works; lower-priced prints and multiples trade frequently but at modest levels. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Agostino Bonalumi maintains an active and well-documented secondary market spanning over two decades, with 502 total auction lots recorded and 336 of those carrying realized prices. Auction appearances date from December 2002 through March 2026, indicating sustained and continuous market interest. The price distribution is wide: recorded prices range from €20 at the low end (small works on paper, prints) to €425,000 at the high end, with a median of €23,000 and an interquartile range of €3,200–€61,500. This dispersion reflects the significant value difference between Bonalumi's characteristic shaped-canvas and extroflexion works—which regularly achieve five and six figures at major houses—and smaller editions, prints, and works on paper. The artist is represented at premier international auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, and Dorotheum, as well as a strong cohort of Italian houses (Finarte, Cambi Casa d'Aste, Il Ponte, Bertolami Fine Art, Pananti) that handle the majority of volume. Recent 12-month activity (20 priced lots) is slightly below the prior 12-month period (29 lots), suggesting a modest contraction in turnover but not a collapse; prices at the top end remain robust, with Sotheby's achieving €95,250 for "Giallo" (May 2025) and Christie's achieving €69,300 for another "Giallo" (April 2025). Market liquidity is healthy for mid-to-upper-tier works; lower-priced prints and multiples trade frequently but at modest levels. ### Appraisal notes An Appraisily appraisal for a Bonalumi work would combine these auction records with detailed examination of the piece itself. The appraiser would identify the medium (oil, vinyl tempera, enamel on shaped canvas; thermoformed plastic; sculpture; print), dimensions, date, and whether the work exhibits the relief, extroflexion, or shaped-canvas techniques central to his practice. Signature location and form (often on the reverse), edition details (editioned multiples such as the Plurart series of 100 copies trade far below unique works), condition of structural or protruding elements, provenance chain (gallery labels, exhibition history, literature citations as seen in Il Ponte lot descriptions referencing published catalogues), and comparable lots from the same period, medium, and scale would all inform value. The wide price range means that comparable selection is critical: a small undated print on paper (€70–€2,000 range) and a large shaped canvas from the 1970s–1980s (€20,000–€95,000+ range) are not substitutable comparables. Attribution should be verified through gallery or estate documentation, as no published catalogue raisonné is referenced in available authority sources. ### Valuation factors - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] ### Collector notes - Bonalumi's market rewards specificity: a well-documented shaped canvas from his prime period with strong provenance can achieve €60,000–€95,000 at a major house, while prints, small works on paper, and editioned multiples may trade below €1,000. If you own a work, gather any gallery receipts, exhibition labels, catalogue references, and photographs of the reverse (where Bonalumi typically signed and dated). The absence of a published catalogue raisonné means that specialist or estate verification may be needed for authentication. Buyers should be aware that the wide price range (€20–€425,000) reflects genuine heterogeneity in medium, scale, and significance—comparable-sale research must match the specific type of work. Recent turnover is modestly lower than the prior year (20 vs. 29 lots in the trailing 12 months), but top-end prices at Christie's and Sotheby's remain stable, indicating continued demand for high-quality material. Works appearing at Italian regional houses may offer value opportunities but warrant careful condition and attribution review. ### Market caveats - All price data is derived from Appraisily auction-record signals aggregated from public auction feeds; individual lot records may not capture buyer's premiums, unsold results, or post-sale private transactions. - No published catalogue raisonné is referenced in available authority sources; attribution for unsigned or undocumented works should be verified through specialist examination or estate consultation. - Prices are reported in mixed currencies (EUR, GBP, CHF); cross-currency comparison requires adjustment for exchange rates at the time of sale. - The recent-lot sample (24 lots) represents a subset of the 502 total lots and may not be fully representative of all media, periods, or price tiers. - Some recent lots have no price-realized data (likely unsold or withdrawn), which can inflate perceived market strength if only sold prices are considered. Of the 24 most recent lots, 6 show no price realized. - The slight decline in annual lot count (29 to 20) may reflect market softening, reduced consignment supply, or normal cyclical variation; a single-year comparison is insufficient to establish a trend. ### Market evidence sources - undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/agostino-bonalumi/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from library authority files, museum records, and encyclopedic sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Agostino Bonalumi, identity data is sourced from the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata. ## Sources - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81008205 - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/20487663/ - RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/225805 - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3606725 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agostino_Bonalumi - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500031592