Rating and value of works, drawings, paintings by Marino Marini

If you own a work by or after the artist Marino Marini, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we will guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Rating and value of works by Marino Marini

Italian sculptor and painter, Marino Marini belongs to the Modern Art movement. He also creates prints and watercolor drawings, as well as a few photographs and tapestries, although very few of these can be found on the art market, proving his versatility. His works are sold for between €30 and €4,593, a substantial delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to the artist's work. A bronze sculpture of a rider on his steed dating from 1944 sold for €65 000 in 2023.

Order of value from a single work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of Marino Marini

Marini nourishes his art with a penchant for and great knowledge of contemporary art as well as an absolute wonderment of ancient sculpture, particularly that of the Etruscans. The artist succeeds in synthesizing the arts in a stylized synergy of forms, with the theme of the Cavalier frequently recurring in his repertoire. This is reminiscent of the sculptures of the Caballine period from 1500 AC onwards in the arts of the Sahara, or the terracotta horsemen of the Niger Delta culture in the Mali Empire between the 12th and 14th centuries. As for sculpture, he mainly uses bronze, plaster and terracotta.  His drawings are made with Indian ink washes, watercolors, tempera paints and pastels with a certain expressionism. A certain archaism, however, can sometimes be noted, going back to Paleolithic graphites and patarafes.

The life of Marino Marini

Born in 1901 in Pistoia, Tuscany, Marino Marini scouted out his future career, deploying his artistic talent at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in 1917. There, painting classes were taught by Galileo Chini and sculpture by Domenico Trentacoste.

In 1929, he was invited to take part in an exhibition in Nice as part of the Novecento group, an Italian artistic movement created in 1922 by Margherita Sarfatti, who wished to counter avant-garde movements such as Futurism and return to the purity of ancient art. He was awarded his first prize at the Rome Quadriennale.

Marini's work is abundant, but traversed by a very small number of themes along a trajectory stretched between two poles : at dawn, solid classicism, works still influenced by ancient statuary and whose archetype would be the Pomona series and at dusk, the tragic manifesto of post-war works, haunted by the vision of the destruction of the world whose apotheosis would be located in the last two themes of the work : the Miracles or the Warriors. Until the end of the 60s, he made very few direct-cut sculptures, because for him, the relationship was not through the monolith, but through the material that could be modelled over and over again. His sculptures are characterized by the addition of schematic, abstract forms, with a strong emphasis on movement, in the manner of the undisputed Futurist master, Umberto Boccioni. He met and sculpted a head by Germaine Richier in 1945, as well as Alberto Giacometti, two sculptors who enjoy considerable renown today and in a way influence his repertoire. He also painted portraits of Carlo Carra, Igor Stravinski, Marc Chagall and Jean Harp. Finally, he sculpts a number of dancers and nude male and female bodies.

Drawing also occupies a significant place in Marini's work, which he has practiced spontaneously since his teens. He draws his female figures from the matrix of classical memories, but transfigures them by interrupting the lines with rhythmic fractures, resulting in absent or diluted body parts.

Marino Marini's imprint on his period

Marino Marini remains one of the greatest Italian artists of the 20th century, and has left his mark on contemporary art through his emblematic interpretation of equine iconography. Marini transcends simple monstration by embracing the essence of the animal, its vigor, elegance and enigmatic, foreign character. In 1940, the horse became the archetype of his work, concealing a symbolism with which he explored a wide range of human emotions through animal representation. Marino Marini leaves behind a substantial legacy. International museums welcome his works into their collections, and they are admired and highly prized by art market players. He deploys his knowledge and trains a whole new generation of artists by teaching at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan and the Villa Reale Art School in Monza.

Recognizing the artist's signature 

Marini signs his works in capital letters, often with his surname or sometimes with the initial of his first name : " M Marini " as well as the date in some cases.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a Marino Marini work, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal via our form on our website. A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly with an estimate of the value of your work, as well as providing you with all the relevant information about it. If you are considering selling your work of art, our specialists will also work with you to provide you with alternatives for selling it at the best possible price.