PETER HALLEY (B. 1953)

Christie’s is delighted to present A Swiss Vision: Collection of Doctor Francesco and Odile Conti, an exceptional grouping of works offered across our Post-War & Contemporary sales in Paris, London, Zurich and online.

Francesco Conti was surrounded by art from a young age. His father, a collector with a fondness for the New School of Paris, developed close relationships with some of his favourite painters: Jean Dubuffet’s Paysage avec maison et deux personnages, 1974, and Maurice Esteve’s Tournan-en-Brie, 1943, were both acquired directly from the artists’ studios. As Francesco grew up, he developed his own passion for art. Later, he would share in the joy of collecting with his wife, Odile.

The Conti collection is an eclectic gathering. Sculptures, works on paper, photographs and paintings showcase a variety of international artists and movements, spanning from the post-war years to the contemporary cutting edge, and there is a wonderful emphasis on artists working today. From the thoughtful and political figures of Omar Ba, an up-and-coming artist who works between Geneva and his native Dakar, Senegal, to the tactile sculptures of the multidisciplinary Mai-Thu Perret, and Marius Bercea’s landscapes of post- Communism Romania, the diversity of international artists is exceptional. The collection also holds several outstanding works by the Moroccan-born Latifa Echakhch, whose art make temporality an essential provocation.

Although many works here tend toward the conceptual, the collection shows a rich sensitivity for the beauty of form. Highlights include stunning photographs by Carlos Garaicoa and Ernest Pignon-Ernest, the surreal bodies of Robert Combas’ Printemps Blanc, 1988, and a delicate, sensuous drawing by British artist Tony Cragg. Colour, too, plays its part: in the multicoloured threads of De bouche à oreille (By Word of Mouth), 1993, one of Alighiero Boetti’s iconic embroideries, while American neo- Conceptualist painter Peter Halley’s signature Day-Glo tones find intimate form in a vivid work on paper from 1992.

The Contis continued Francesco’s father’s approach of close collaboration with artists: nearly everything in the collection was purchased directly from the artist’s studio or gallery. Built on personal relationships, this is also a collection that was lived with in a home, creating thoughtful dialogues between works and their setting. Coming together in a beautiful and playful ensemble, Doctor Francesco and Odile Conti’s collection presents the joy of living with art, and of collecting as the expression of singular individuality, sensitivity and intelligence.