Appraisal of a Luigi Lucioni Etching

A passion for landscapes: Lucioni was a preeminent American etcher

Your etching is a nice example of the work of Luigi Lucioni (1900-1988), an accomplished 20th-century Italian-American etcher and painter. This piece is a typical example of the style of work Lucioni did while residing in Vermont.

Lucioni was born in Northern Italy and came to New York City when he was 10 years old. Even as a child he always had a pencil in his hand and at age 15 he won an art competition that gained him acceptance to Cooper Union, a leading and prestigious tuition-free art college in NYC. He enrolled in evening art classes, worked during the day in Brooklyn at an engraving/etching studio, and was accepted into the National Academy of Design.

Lucioni spent a few years traveling in Italy where he was inspired by the painters of the Renaissance. Upon his return, he traveled to Vermont and ended up settling there in the 1930s as he was so inspired by the landscape, which reminded him of his native Italy. He lived in Manchester, Vt., and would spend winters with his family in New York City.

Although Lucioni was considered one of the preeminent American landscape etchers, he considered himself a painter. He enjoyed etching as it enabled him to practice his draftsmanship and precisionism, which he also carried into his painting. His incorporation of minute detail, sense of light and passion for the Vermont landscape shines through in all of his etchings.

I am a big fan of Lucioni’s work and we usually have several of his etchings available for sale at our shop and occasionally one of his paintings (his oil paintings usually sell between $20,000 and $100,000). His etchings are reasonably priced; however, buyers should be aware of reproductions, particularly if too reasonable. Your Lucioni is an original; it is dated 1941 and is signed and dated both in the etching and in the margin in pencil.

I would estimate your Lucioni etching at $350.