Emilio Pettoruti La Ultima Serenata (The Last Serenade) (1937) oil on canvas 77" x 51" Gift of IBM Noted for the refinement and impeccable craftsmanship of his work, Pettoruti received training in the fine arts at the Royal Academy in Florence beginning in 1913 and became associated with the Futurist moment.  He exhibited in Italy and Germany and while working in Paris met Juan Gris who became a close friend.  After returning to Buenos Aires in 1924 he had a revolutionary exhibit at the Salon Witcomb where his Futurist and Cubist works were exhibited for the first time and were championed by the progressive art group Martin Fierro.  Pettoruti once said that for him painting was only about color and construction.  This work is from the artist's figure series of Harlequins, which he depicted since the 1920s.  The harlequin, an icon referring to the traditional commedia dell'arte, recurs repeatedly in 20th-century art, incoluding in the work of Picasso, Braque, Derain, and Gris.  In Pettoruti's work in can also be interpreted as referring to the musicians in the popular tango bands of the day and his paintings frequently include a player of the banoneon or small accordion, the instrument most closely associated with tango.