Gianni Bertini (1922-2010) Venus à hydrogène Screenprint and oil highlights on canvas signed lower center, countersigned and titled on back 36 x 30.5 cm Provenance: > Beaussant Lefèvre Drouot December 15, 2008 lot 176 Bibliography: - Gianni Bertini, Cruido Ballo. Reproduced on page 121 of the book. Condition report: Framed Gianni Bertini is a precursor of Italian informal art. He began creating abstract works in 1947, as part of the Arte Concreta movement in Milan. In 1951, he presented works in Florence under the name of "nuclear art", which constituted the first manifestation of informal art in Italy. The following year, Bertini moved to Paris and held his first solo exhibition at Galerie Arnaud. In 1957, he joined the "Espaces Imaginaires" group founded by Pierre Restany, an influential art historian and critic. His works are exhibited throughout Europe and in the United States, testifying to his international success. Close to the Nouveau Réalisme movement, Bertini innovated by using photographic transfer techniques on emulsified canvas. In the 1960s, he produced collages combining war images and pin-up photographs, offering a sharp critique of society. He also used mechanical reproduction processes, and in 1965 produced the first Mec'art manifesto, an artistic movement combining electronic media and art. Gianni Bertini died in Caen in 2010. (MLD)