Ottone Rosai

He was born in Florence in 1895 to an artisan family. Having attended the Institute of Decorative Arts at Piazza Santa Croce, from which he was expelled a few years later for bad conduct, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, but although continuing to attend courses until 1913 he was impatient with the academic environment. He was introduced to Futurism through Giovanni Papini, Giuseppe Prezzolini and Ardengo Soffici, with whom he exhibited at the Galleria Sprovieri of Rome and with whom he collaborated on magazine "Lacerba".

In World War I he volunteered and was sent to the front, receiving two bronze medals, but the experience of war marked him deeply. He worked with futuristic groups, published a book with Vallecchi, and exhibited in Milan, at Palazzo Cova, as part of the Great Futurist National Exhibition, but began to turn his attention to the fifteenth century.

In November 1920, he held at Palazzo Capponi in Florence, his first show, which Soffici recounts very positively. But two years later his father's suicide forced him to return to the woodworking shop and to reduce his artistic activity to remedy the difficult economic situation of the family. He painted outdoors, often with Soffici, versions of Via Toscanella dating to 1922.

From 1926 until 1929 he collaborated with writings and drawings at Il Selvaggio by Mino Maccari; In 1928 he painted the Toppa Players, exhibits two works at the XVI Venice Biennale, participates in the exhibition of the "Novecento" in 1929, and the following year he has an exhibition at the Milan Milion Gallery. But in the national environment he finds no approval and breaks his friendship with Soffici, Carrà and Papini.

In October 1932 he held an important show at Palazzo Ferroni's Gallery in Florence and, despite the economic difficulties, closes the carpentry shop to dedicate himself exclusively to painting. The group of young Milanese, led by Persico, show attention to his work and in 1933 hold an exhibition at Galleria Tre Arti organized by the Turin critic and presented by Alberto Savinio. In 1937 an important exhibition at the Cairola Gallery in Genoa finally shows sales success, and he intensifies his exhibition activity in Rome (III Quadriennale) and in Venice.

He was nominated without competition in 1939 as a Professor of figure drawing at the Artistic High School in Florence, and later (1942) as a Professor of Painting at the Academy. In the postwar period, his stature is acknowledged and confirmed by numerous exhibition events and favorable criticism, especially from Ragghianti. In 1954 he gave his city a Crucifixion, following the initiative of the City Aesthetics Committee to renovate the old ruined tabernacle with works of contemporary artists. On the occasion of the Biennale of 1956, a great retrospective of his work was organized, and the following year, a show was arranged up at Ivrea by Pier Carlo Santini, but during its setup he died of a heart attack.

He was born in Florence in 1895 to an artisan family. Having attended the Institute of Decorative Arts at Piazza Santa Croce, from which he was expelled a few years later for bad conduct, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, but although continuing to attend courses until 1913 he was impatient with the academic environment. He was introduced to Futurism through Giovanni Papini, Giuseppe Prezzolini and Ardengo Soffici, with whom he exhibited at the Galleria Sprovieri of Rome and with whom he collaborated on magazine "Lacerba".

In World War I he volunteered and was sent to the front, receiving two bronze medals, but the experience of war marked him deeply. He worked with futuristic groups, published a book with Vallecchi, and exhibited in Milan, at Palazzo Cova, as part of the Great Futurist National Exhibition, but began to turn his attention to the fifteenth century.

In November 1920, he held at Palazzo Capponi in Florence, his first show, which Soffici recounts very positively. But two years later his father's suicide forced him to return to the woodworking shop and to reduce his artistic activity to remedy the difficult economic situation of the family. He painted outdoors, often with Soffici, versions of Via Toscanella dating to 1922.

From 1926 until 1929 he collaborated with writings and drawings at Il Selvaggio by Mino Maccari; In 1928 he painted the Toppa Players, exhibits two works at the XVI Venice Biennale, participates in the exhibition of the "Novecento" in 1929, and the following year he has an exhibition at the Milan Milion Gallery. But in the national environment he finds no approval and breaks his friendship with Soffici, Carrà and Papini.

In October 1932 he held an important show at Palazzo Ferroni's Gallery in Florence and, despite the economic difficulties, closes the carpentry shop to dedicate himself exclusively to painting. The group of young Milanese, led by Persico, show attention to his work and in 1933 hold an exhibition at Galleria Tre Arti organized by the Turin critic and presented by Alberto Savinio. In 1937 an important exhibition at the Cairola Gallery in Genoa finally shows sales success, and he intensifies his exhibition activity in Rome (III Quadriennale) and in Venice.

He was nominated without competition in 1939 as a Professor of figure drawing at the Artistic High School in Florence, and later (1942) as a Professor of Painting at the Academy. In the postwar period, his stature is acknowledged and confirmed by numerous exhibition events and favorable criticism, especially from Ragghianti. In 1954 he gave his city a Crucifixion, following the initiative of the City Aesthetics Committee to renovate the old ruined tabernacle with works of contemporary artists. On the occasion of the Biennale of 1956, a great retrospective of his work was organized, and the following year, a show was arranged up at Ivrea by Pier Carlo Santini, but during its setup he died of a heart attack.

Text © Monte dei Paschi di Siena, 2017