PIETRO ANNIGONI ©

PIETRO ANNIGONI

Pietro Annigoni (Milan, 1910 - Florence, 1988) is considered one of the greatest masters of 20th-century Italian Realism, of which he was the most authoritative interpreter as well as the founder, having drafted the manifesto of the 'Modern Realism Painters' in 1947. Nicknamed 'The Painter of Queens' (in 1955 he painted the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, now exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London), he has portrayed many famous people: Pope John XXIII, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the Queen Mother of England and Philip of Edinburgh, Princess Margaret, Alcide De Gasperi. .. and is also known for the large number of public works in places of absolute prestige (Palazzo della Misericordia in Piazza del Duomo in Florence, the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, the Abbey of Montecassino, to name but a few). Equally important are the international public exhibitions, suffice it to mention the numerous exhibitions at the Royal Academy in London. In 2008, the Annigoni Museum was opened at Villa Bardini (Florence), where more than 6,000 works by this legendary painter of reality are on display. The Piero Della Francesca Art Gallery had the honour of hosting two solo exhibitions of Annigoni's work (1973, 1987), curated by Giovan Battista and Giacomo Vaiani Lisi and collaborated with the master for two decades.