Mauro Manca Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Mauro Manca (1913 - 1969) of Sassari origins, after a period in Venice he lived and studied in Sassari. In 1934 he attended, albeit sporadically, the School of Engraving directed by Dessy and soon began to exhibit. Read the full biography

Mauro Manca (1913 - 1969) of Sassari origins, after a period in Venice he lived and studied in Sassari. In 1934 he attended, albeit sporadically, the School of Engraving directed by Dessy and soon began to exhibit. In 1936 he graduated in Law and was admitted to the Littoriali Art Exhibition in Venice, continuing to exhibit in Sassari. In 1938 he moved with his family to Rome where he frequented Marinetti, Severini and was active in the GUF. During the war he was drafted and returned to Sardinia, to Sassari, where he taught, exhibited and showed a certain expressionist twist. After the war he returned to Rome, resuming the ties he had previously maintained and at times arousing great controversy for his production. After working for a short time at the War Ministry, he won the Umiastowska Foundation prize at the end of 1949. The 1950s were marked by a revival of experimentation and an approach to the surreal metaphysical. He obtained restoration tasks from the Superintendence, the creation of the sets for the film The Black Mask and took over the management of a private gallery, L'Aureliana. At the end of the 1950s he replaced abstractionist experiments with stylized figuration, with inspiration from the Nuragic civilization. In these years he dedicated himself mainly to graphic projects for magazines and organisations, in 1957 he won the Sardinia Prize at the Nuoro Biennale with The Shadow of the Sea on the Hill and exhibited at the Rome-New York Art Foundation. In 1959 he returned to the island to direct the Sassari Art Institute and committed himself to the reorganization of island art through various initiatives. In February 1969 he died following an illness.