Signed "Martini", this work was modeled during the 1930s and may have been used in 1936-37, the period when Arturo Martini was designing the models (now lost) for the Victory Arch competition, intended to be placed in Piazza Fiume, Milan. The sculpture depicts a compact group of twenty standing female figures, captured in the act of singing aloud, tightly pressed together to form a block. This block is enlivened by the varied poses of the individual figures, which are positioned with great insight on an inclined platform that lends the scene a unique charm and an unusual sense of movement; the choral composition evokes a theatrical scene, as seen in ancient theater, or perhaps a public event. This sculpture will be included in the upcoming edition of the General Catalogue of Arturo Martini’s Sculptures, edited by Nico Stringa, currently in preparation.

Donated by the artist to journalist and literary critic Enrico Falqui (1901 - 1974); Antonello Falqui, Rome.