# Alberto Magnelli artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/alberto-magnelli/
Profile generated: 2026-05-03T06:34:31.278Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1888-07-01
- Death date: 1971-04-20
- Nationality: Italian
- Movements: Concrete art, Modern art
- Common media: painting, printmaking, woodcut, graphic art

## About Alberto Magnelli

Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971) was an Italian painter and printmaker recognized as a significant figure in the post-war Concrete art movement. Born in Florence, he was largely self-taught and gravitated toward modernist abstraction early in his career. By 1932 he had relocated to Paris, where he moved within circles that included Hans Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and other avant-garde artists. Magnelli's work is characterized by bold geometric forms, interlocking shapes, and a restrained but vibrant color palette. His compositions moved beyond representational references toward pure abstract construction, aligning him with the Concrete art principles articulated in the mid-twentieth century. He was named Officier des Arts et Lettres by the French government in 1966. Works by Magnelli are held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He died in Meudon, near Paris, in 1971.

## Common works and media

Magnelli produced oil paintings on canvas and panel, but a substantial portion of his recorded output consists of prints — etchings, woodcuts, and lithographs — often published in artist books and portfolios. Notable printed series include contributions to 23 Gravures (1934–35) and 10 Origin (1942), both held by MoMA. Geometric abstract compositions with interlocking rectangular and curvilinear forms are a hallmark of his mature style. Works on paper, including ink drawings and gouaches, also appear in auction and museum contexts.

## Market and appraisal context

Alberto Magnelli has a well-established and active secondary market, with 569 auction lots recorded by Appraisily spanning from May 1997 to May 2026. Of these, 322 carry a realized price. The price distribution is wide: the recorded minimum is €40 and the maximum is €1,161,250, with a median of €3,315 and an interquartile range of €313–€24,750. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media in play — from posters and dedicated catalogues at the low end, through prints, collages, and works on paper in the mid-range, to important oil-on-canvas paintings from the mature Concrete period commanding six-figure sums. Liquidity is healthy: 36 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 32 in the prior 12 months, indicating steady or slightly increasing supply. The artist is traded at top-tier houses (Christie's, Sotheby's) as well as specialist European firms (Artcurial, Finarte, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Aguttes, Cambi Casa d'Aste), confirming broad geographic demand across Continental Europe and the UK. Recent Christie's London sales in early 2026 realized £6,985–£25,400 for oil compositions, while Finarte Milan achieved €48,000 for a 1956 oil titled "Introduction." The highest single recorded price in the recent-lot sample is a Sotheby's 2011 sale at €456,750, and the overall maximum of €1,161,250 indicates that major museum-quality canvases can exceed seven figures.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Alberto Magnelli has a well-established and active secondary market, with 569 auction lots recorded by Appraisily spanning from May 1997 to May 2026. Of these, 322 carry a realized price. The price distribution is wide: the recorded minimum is €40 and the maximum is €1,161,250, with a median of €3,315 and an interquartile range of €313–€24,750. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media in play — from posters and dedicated catalogues at the low end, through prints, collages, and works on paper in the mid-range, to important oil-on-canvas paintings from the mature Concrete period commanding six-figure sums. Liquidity is healthy: 36 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 32 in the prior 12 months, indicating steady or slightly increasing supply. The artist is traded at top-tier houses (Christie's, Sotheby's) as well as specialist European firms (Artcurial, Finarte, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Aguttes, Cambi Casa d'Aste), confirming broad geographic demand across Continental Europe and the UK. Recent Christie's London sales in early 2026 realized £6,985–£25,400 for oil compositions, while Finarte Milan achieved €48,000 for a 1956 oil titled "Introduction." The highest single recorded price in the recent-lot sample is a Sotheby's 2011 sale at €456,750, and the overall maximum of €1,161,250 indicates that major museum-quality canvases can exceed seven figures.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use the 569-lot auction record set to establish a comparable-sales baseline, then refine against the specific work's attributes: medium (oil on canvas versus print or work on paper), dimensions, date of execution, signature and edition details, provenance history, exhibition record, and physical condition. Oil paintings from Magnelli's mature Concrete period (c. 1940s–1960s) anchor the upper price tier; prints, collages, and works on paper form the accessible middle and lower tiers. Editioned prints should be checked for correct numbering, signature state, and plate condition. Provenance tracing to notable collections or exhibitions — or inclusion in a documented series such as 23 Gravures or L'Album de la Ferrage — can materially affect value. Condition is especially significant for works on paper and prints, where foxing, creasing, or fading reduce price substantially. A formal appraisal would cross-reference these records with current asking prices from dealers and galleries, catalogue raisonné entries where available, and any expert authentication.

### Valuation factors

- Medium and support: oil on canvas works command significantly higher prices than prints, works on paper, or ephemera; the record maximum (€1,161,250) is for a major oil painting
- Period: works from Magnelli's mature Concrete art phase (c. 1940s–1960s), such as the 1956 "Introduction" that sold for €48,000 at Finarte, are the most sought-after
- Size and scale: large canvases (e.g., the 45 × 63⅞ in. "Confrontation" at £25,400, Christie's 2026) trade at premiums over smaller works on paper or prints
- Condition: foxing, fading, creasing, or trimming disproportionately affects works on paper and prints, which dominate the lower and middle price tiers
- Provenance and exhibition history: documented provenance linking to major collections or exhibitions increases value; dedicated catalogues and ephemera trade at the low end (€100–€150)
- Edition and signature state for prints: signed and numbered prints (e.g., the 1966 linocut, edition of 20, at $600) carry a premium over unsigned or open-edition examples
- Auction house tier: top-tier houses (Christie's, Sotheby's) achieve higher realizations for comparable works than regional European auctioneers

### Collector notes

- Magnelli's market spans a wide price range (€40–€1,161,250), making entry possible at multiple price points — prints and works on paper from €200–€2,000, important oils from €20,000 upward
- The market shows stable liquidity: 32–36 lots per year over the last two 12-month periods, with no significant supply contraction
- Major works consistently appear at Christie's and Sotheby's; collectors seeking important oils should monitor their Post-War & Contemporary Art and Modern Art sales in London and Paris
- Prints and portfolios (e.g., I Collages di Magnelli, L'Album de la Ferrage) trade frequently at Italian and French regional houses (Finarte, Casa d'aste Minghini, Aguttes) at accessible price levels
- The median realized price of €3,315 suggests that a typical Magnelli lot is a print or work on paper; collectors should not assume that all Magnelli works trade at five or six figures
- Unsigned prints and ephemera (posters, catalogues) represent the floor of the market (€40–€300) and are generally not suitable as investment pieces

### Market caveats

- Realized prices in the source pack span multiple currencies (EUR, GBP, CHF, USD); direct comparison requires currency normalization at the prevailing exchange rate on each sale date
- Several recent lots show null priceRealised values, meaning they may have been bought-in, withdrawn, or the result is not yet reported — these lots should not be treated as comparable sales without verification
- The €1,161,250 maximum represents an outlier; the p75 price of €24,750 is a more representative upper bound for typical lots
- No catalogue raisonné reference was available in the source pack; attribution of unsigned or undocumented works should be verified by a specialist
- Price data is derived from Appraisily's auction-record index sourced from public auction feeds; it may not capture private sales or all small regional auction results
- The artist's prints were issued in multiple editions and states; edition numbering and plate state should be verified before purchase

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/alberto-magnelli/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable / Christie's: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-confrontation-oil-on-canvas45-x-63-7-8-in-323-c-569a10a2b8
- Invaluable / Christie's: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-composition-oil-and-grattage-on-canvas22-3-4-x-1275-c-26e778aaf2
- Invaluable / Finarte: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-firenze-1888-parigi-1971-introduction-1956-80-c-0bb90e5dbd
- Invaluable / Sotheby's: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-9-c-2acf0b9504
- Invaluable / Christie's: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-composition-brun-blanc-rouge-composition-1273-c-1a376411b2
- Invaluable / Christie's: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-dessin-pour-l-uomo-ubriaco-214-c-d8f3a18597
- Invaluable / Aguttes: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-sans-titre-c-1937-55-c-f39a0ace56
- Invaluable / The Red Finch Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-signed-and-numbered-linocut-1966-one-of-twenty-copies-54-c-a660ed0031
- Invaluable / Felima Art Casa D'Aste: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-senza-titolo-1954-5-c-47a2a5d37f
- Invaluable / OXIO: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-135-c-0381be837d
- Invaluable / Ader: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-1888-1971-4-catalogues-avec-dedicaces-a-s-1963-1966-342-c-e37cc7d7e9
- Invaluable / Casa d'aste Minghini: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-composizione-dalla-serie-l-album-de-la-ferrage-25-c-f9e14ed5b0
- Invaluable / Finarte: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alberto-magnelli-firenze-1888-parigi-1971-from-the-folder-i-collage-di-magnelli-255-c-3b2fbfe4a8

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and biographical sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. For Alberto Magnelli, identity data is grounded in the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, and MoMA collection records.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50039496
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/51973
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/100188450/
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3690
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Magnelli
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q607568