Giovanni Boldini was born in Ferrara on 31 December 1842 to Antonio – a professional painter – and Benvenuta Caleffi. From a young age he showed an innate talent for drawing that he would develop further by taking lessons from his father. In 1864, he moved to Florence, where he befriended Michele Gordigiani and Cristiano […]

Vittorio Matteo Corcos was born in Livorno on 4 October 1859 to Isacco and Giuditta Basquis. In 1875 he moved to Florence where on 23 November he was directly admitted to the second year course of drawing of the local Accademia di Belle Arti. Two years later he is awarded the silver medal at the end of […]

Born in Rome on 14 November 1852, Antonio Mancini moved to Naples with his family in 1865 where he studied at the school run by the priests of the Girolamini Oratory and attended evening courses at the Church of San Domenico Maggiore. In June of that year he began studies at the Istituto di Belle Arti. […]

Ludovico Marchetti was born in Rome on 10 May 1853. Son of the engraver, Augusto, he attended with success the lessons in painting at the Accademia di San Luca. Initially, he specialized in painting historical and sacred subjects, before confronting themes inspired by contemporary literature after having met the Spanish painter, Mariano Fortuny y Marsal […]

Pompeo Mariani was born in Monza on 9 September 1857 to Martino and Giulia Bianchi, sister of the well-known painter, Mosè. Upon finishing secondary school, he was sent by his father to begin a banking career at the Cavagliani and Oneto bank in Milan. Here Mariani met Aldo Noseda who introduced him to the cultural […]

Alberto Pasini was born in Busseto on 3 September 1826 to Giuseppe and Adelaide Crotti Balestra. In 1828, after the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Parma. In 1843 he began his studies – never completing them – at the local Accademia di Belle Arti, choosing from the beginning landscape painting […]

Born in Naples on 31 August 1835, Federico Rossano briefly frequented the Regio Istituto di Belle Arti, soon distancing himself with his preference for the study of landscapes from life, in the tradition of Giacinto Gigante. In the first years of the 1860s, Rossano spent time with the artists from the so-called ‘Resina School’, promoters […]

Pietro Scoppetta was born in Amalfi on 15 February 1863. He initially began his studies in architecture before abandoning them to follow lessons in painting given by Giacomo Di Chirico. Abandoning his studies entirely, he moved to Naples in 1891 where he began to exhibit at various shows organized by the local cultural organization, demonstrating […]

Gino Severini was born in Cortona on 7 April 1883. After his studies at the local Scuola Tecnica, he arrived in Rome in 1899 where he attended the Scuola libera del Nudo at the Accademia and evening classes in drawing at the Villa Medici. He befriended Umberto Boccioni, Sergio Corazzini and Duillio Cambellotti, with whom […]

Federico Zanomeneghi was born in Venice on 2 June 1841 to the sculptor, Pietro, and his wife, Teresa Spertini. In 1856, he began at the local Accademia di Belle Arti where he took classes in ornamental design, architecture, perspective and figuration, given by Callisto Zanotti, Francesco Carlo Astori, Federico Moja, and Michelangelo Grigoletti respectively. Troubled by the […]