Lot 267, Auction 4/3/2026: Jose Alfonso Cuni Collage “Bullfight”

$455.00

In stock

Jose Alfonso Cuni (Spanish, b. 1924). “Bullfight” mixed media collage, n.d. Signed at center right. A dramatic confrontation unfolds across a wide field of luminous white, where a charging black bull and mounted picador emerge in torn, layered fragments of color. In “Bullfight,” Cuni constructs the scene through collage, assembling ripped passages of deep green, earthen brown, crimson, and shadowed black into a tense and immediate spectacle. The jagged edges of the paper create the illusion of motion – the bull lunges forward, the horse braces, and the rider raises his lance in a frozen instant of impact. The composition is strikingly spare. Rather than enclosing the action within an arena, Cuni allows the figures to float against an open ground, emphasizing silhouette and gesture. Size of collage: 26.75″ W x 18″ H (67.9 cm x 45.7 cm); of frame: 34.25″ W x 25.25″ H (87 cm x 64.1 cm)

A distant frieze of spectators stretches horizontally across the background, rendered in muted tones that contrast with the saturated reds of the muleta and the muscular darkness of the bull. This linear procession recalls the disciplined structure of mural design, a format with which Cuni was deeply familiar. Even within the intimacy of collage, his sense of large-scale rhythm and narrative clarity remains evident.

Materially, the work reflects the artist’s lifelong engagement with surface and technique. The layered papers function almost like pigment strata, their tonal depth suggesting the fresco traditions he studied extensively. Each torn contour acts as both drawing and edge, defining anatomy and movement without conventional modeling. The result is both graphic and painterly – a synthesis of construction and color that heightens the drama of the bullring. Signed “Cuni” at lower right, the work captures the ritual intensity and theatricality of the corrida while distilling it into bold, modern form. The tension between violence and choreography, mass and line, tradition and abstraction gives the composition its enduring power.

About the artist: Jose Alfonso Cuni was born in Barcelona in 1924 and received his formal artistic training in his native city. He studied painting with La Longa before completing his education at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts, one of Barcelona’s leading art institutions. In the years that followed, from 1952 to 1956, he served as both instructor and researcher at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he combined teaching with technical investigation.

Cuni developed a particular command of mural painting while working in the studio of Don Ramon Stolz Viciano during the preparation and execution of the Gran Cupula del Rosario in Zaragoza. This period of close studio practice strengthened his understanding of large-scale composition and traditional wall techniques, shaping the direction of his later career.

From the late 1950s through 1970, Cuni traveled widely throughout France and Italy, deepening his study of historic fresco traditions. In 1961, he was awarded a grant from the Fundacion de Marzo that enabled him to examine the ancient wall paintings of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum in Naples. His long-term research into historical materials led to the reconstruction of pigment formulas that had not been used for centuries. These revived pigments were eventually produced and marketed in Europe under the Cuni family name.

Cuni’s growing reputation brought international recognition. In 1967 he was invited by the French government to visit Paris, and in 1970 he was elected an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Madrid. Beginning in the early 1960s, he exhibited in major international biennales, including those held in Venice, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Honolulu, Ljubljana, and Poland.

Throughout his career, Cuni made significant contributions to the understanding and practice of mural painting. His technical scholarship and artistic output together secured his place within the broader narrative of twentieth-century European art.

Condition: Mounted behind glass in custom matte and frame; has not been examined outside of glass. Some scratches and chips to paint on frame; none of which affects collage. Otherwise, collage appears to be in excellent overall condition with artist’s signature at center right. Verso of frame has old label from “The London Hilton Art Gallery” as well as a suspension wire for display.

Provenance: Private collection of important Hollywood family, collected between 1930 and 1980; ex-The London Hilton Art Gallery, London, UK

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