SwissArtGallery · Documented identity

Agostino Bonalumi

The Italian painter, draughtsman and sculptor Agostino Bonalumi develops the idea of «pittura – oggetto», or «object-painting»: a form of painting conceived to go beyond the frame of the canvas. His training in technical and mechanical drawing is a documented reference point in his career. Works such as *Blu abitabile*, created in 1967 for the exhibition «Lo spazio dell’immagine» in Foligno, and *Grande Nero*, presented at the Museum am Ostwall in Dortmund in 1968, mark stages in this exploration.

Born on 10 July 1935 in Vimercate, in the Milan region, Bonalumi presents his first works at the Premio Nazionale Città di Vimercate in 1948, out of competition, and then holds his first solo exhibition at the Galleria Totti in Milan in 1956. In 1958, he begins working with Enrico Castellani and Piero Manzoni; the group exhibits at the Galleria Pater in Milan, followed by further exhibitions in Rome, Milan and Lausanne. In 1959, he holds his first solo exhibition outside Italy, in Rotterdam. The following year, «Agostino Bonalumi. Recent Paintings, Sculptures and Drawings» opens at the New Vision Centre Gallery in London.

In February 1965, Arturo Schwarz, who begins collecting his works, organises an exhibition of Bonalumi’s work at his gallery in Milan. The artist participates in the 33rd Venice Biennale in 1966; at the 35th, in 1970, he has a room of his own. The publication in 1973 of a monograph written by Gillo Dorfles and published by Edizioni del Naviglio under the supervision of Renato Cardazzo is followed a year later by a retrospective organised by Giulio Carlo Argan at the Palazzo dei Musei in Modena. In 1980, Regione Lombardia supports an exhibition at the Palazzo Te in Mantua, organised by Flavio Caroli and Gillo Dorfles. The Institut Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt dedicates a retrospective exhibition to him in 2003–2004, and in 2011 the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow presents a retrospective organised by Lea Mattarella.

This profile brings together identity references for Agostino Bonalumi and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.

12 references are documented at Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Kornfeld, Germann, Lempertz. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.

Works recorded at auction

Kornfeld · Lot 641

Nero

Tempera

Original catalogue wording

Nero
tempera

Catalogue period : 2024-09-12

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

Estimate : CHF 20000

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer · Lot 116

Red, 1968

Oil on canvas

Original catalogue wording

Rosso, 1968
huile sur toile

Catalogue period : 2020-09-23

Published result : 7049 CHF

Including buyer’s premium

Estimate : CHF 2000–3000

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Lempertz · Lot 785

Bianco

Tempera

Original catalogue wording

Bianco
tempera

Auction date : 2019-06-01

Published result : 4464 EUR

Including buyer’s premium

Estimate : 2500

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer · Lot 221

Untitled, 1959

Oil, collage and twigs on wood

Original catalogue wording

Ohne Titel, 1959
Öl, Collage und Zweige auf Holz

Catalogue period : 2018-06-20

Published result : 4136 CHF

Fees not specified in the available data

Estimate : CHF 2000–3000

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Lempertz · Lot 788

Bianco

Tempera

Original catalogue wording

Bianco
tempera

Auction date : 2017-12-02

Published result : 22320 EUR

Including buyer’s premium

Estimate : 15000

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Lempertz · Lot 626

Bianco

Tempera

Original catalogue wording

Bianco
tempera

Auction date : 2017-12-02

Published result : 124000 EUR

Including buyer’s premium

Estimate : 100000

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Lempertz · Lot 627

Bianco

Tempera

Original catalogue wording

Bianco
tempera

Auction date : 2017-12-02

Published result : 64480 EUR

Including buyer’s premium

Estimate : 45000

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Kornfeld

Nero

Tempera

Original catalogue wording

Nero
tempera

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Germann

Bianco, 1975

Vinyl Tempera auf geformter Leinwand.

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Germann

Bianco, 1989

Mischtechnik, weisse Seide, Collage und Prägung auf Papier auf Leinwand.

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Germann

Bianco Frau Achilles für Artnet Bilder etc., 1968

Tela estroflessa e tempera vinilica.

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Germann

Progetto, 1971

Mixed media and collage on paper.

Original catalogue wording

Progetto, 1971
Mischtechnik und Collage auf Papier.

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

View the lot at the auction house ↗

Sources and references

• Reference record
• ICCD-ArCo · CC-BY-4.0; Ministero della Cultura / ICCD-ArCo. Reference link only; no image copied.
• LOMBARDIA-CULTURA · CC0-1.0
• LOMBARDIA-CULTURA · CC0-1.0
• LoC · Reference link only; institutional text and images are not reproduced.
• Documentary source
• Documentary source
• Documentary source

SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19