Sotheby’s is honored to present for sale a group of outstanding Italian paintings and sculptures, from Renaissance to Mannerism, assembled by Fabrizio Moretti. Though still only in his late 30s, Mr. Moretti has for some years been a leading figure in the field of Italian art. The works included in the sale reflect both the range and the quality for which he is best known.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit two causes very dear to his heart: The Fabrizio Moretti Foundation, which works to give those with certain disabilities access to the therapeutic benefits of horses, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where funds from the sale will be dedicated to the study and conservation of Italian Old Master Paintings.
Art has always been central to the life of Fabrizio Moretti. Now the owner of the eponymous, highly-regarded gallery with outposts in London, New York and Florence, he was born into a family of leading Italian dealers. A lifelong admirer and supporter of The Metropolitan Museum in New York, Moretti has also donated major works to the museum, including Annibale Carracci’s St. John the Baptist Bearing Witness, and a moving depiction of The Annunciation, by the fascinating Munich-born artist, Peter Candid.
Similarly, Moretti’s understanding of the healing powers of the horse was gained first hand. Having ridden since he was 7, he has himself enjoyed the physical and emotional benefits that come from physical contact with horses. Moretti believes that “a horse manages to give a person that which life, at times, keeps distant.” In an effort to bring these benefits to more of those to whom they would be most valuable, he has founded the Fabrizio Moretti Foundation, based in Florence, Italy.
January 15, 2015