Ruggero Savinio (1934) - Istmo

Ruggero Savinio - Istmo, 2008
Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 cm

Small and refined canvas by master Ruggero Savinio on a subject typical of his work, Istmo, acrylic on canvas measuring 24x18 cm; authentic on the artist's photo.

Ruggero Savinio

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruggero_Savinio

Nephew of Giorgio De Chirico, Ruggero Savinio was born on December 22, 1934 in Turin from the marriage of the painter Alberto Savinio and Maria Morino, an actress of Eleonora Duse's company.
He spent childhood and early youth in Rome, where he attended the Torquato Tasso Classical High School and the Faculty of Letters at La Sapienza University. In parallel with school, he developed his artistic vocation within the family circle, especially towards painting, encouraged by his father and receiving instruction from his uncle. He paints live with other painters, such as Lorenzo Tornabuoni.
From 1958 to 1968 he spent long periods in Paris, friends with other young artists like Lorenzo Tornabuoni and Gianni Serra. From the end of 1968 to 1984 he lived in Milan. He then spent long periods in Rome, where he settled in 1989. He also frequented, in Switzerland, the Canton of Ticino, and in Tuscany, the Chianti and Cetona.
In 1986 he received the Peggy Guggenheim Prize. In 1995 he was named a member of the Accademia di San Luca.
In 2007 he was conferred the De Sica Prize by the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. In the spring of 2012 a large retrospective was dedicated to him at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome and in 2022 at Palazzo Reale in Milan.
He died in Cetona on January 1, 2025 at the age of 90.

http://legislature.camera.it/serv_cittadini/leg13/02.convegni/22_biografiasavino.asp

Ruggero Savinio was born in Turin, on December 22, 1934, to Andrea de Chirico and Maria Morino; he lives and works in Rome. Tradition within the family drew him early into the world of art: his father, under the pseudonym Alberto Savinio, was one of the major artists and writers of the 20th century; his mother, a dramatic actress, performed in Eleonora Duse's last tour in America; his uncle, Giorgio de Chirico, is the most famous Italian painter of the world. At fifteen, Ruggero began to frequent his uncle's studio, from which he received important technical painting instruction. Despite the proximity of two such strong personalities, Ruggero Savinio soon found his own path. He studied in Rome at the Faculty of Letters, and, with two painter friends, held his first exhibition of paintings in 1956, presented by Giuseppe Ungaretti. In 1958 he stayed in Paris on a study grant awarded by Lionello Venturi. Returned to Italy in 1961, the following year he held his first solo show in Milan at the Galleria delle Ore. In 1965 he participated in the exhibition Alternative Attuali 2, curated by Enrico Crispolti, which the artist regards as his first real public breakthrough. Also in 1965 he was again in Paris, where, in 1967, at Galerie Jacob, he held a drawings show presented by the poet Dominique Fourcade and by critic Guy Weelen. In 1968 he settled in Milan. Between 1974 and 1976 he produced the series of works titled Giochi d'acqua. In 1977 he initiated the cycle of paintings L'età dell'oro, characterized by a new explosion of color, with strong references to Romantic culture. In the early 1980s the works La sera a Santa Lucia with clear references to Greek and Roman reliefs emerged. Between 1983 and 1986 he was strongly drawn to ancient masters such as Velázquez, Sebastiano del Piombo, and Saraceni. Drawing on their works, he produced paintings such as Johannes, La morte di Adone, San Rocco.
In 1984 he returned to live in Rome. Inspired by archaeological landscapes, he created a group of works titled Rovine. These are generally large-scale paintings. Between 1986 and 1988 he painted the cycles Muse and Fortune. Parallel to this, he developed a theme that is perhaps closest to him: the Conversations. At the time of the Sacred Renaissance Conversations, the artist places figures in a quiet, enigmatic space.
From his marriage to Annelise Alleva, in 1990 came Andrea, and in 1992 Gemma. Thus arose a new cycle of family paintings, works such as Viaggio di nozze, La bella stagione, Autoritratto con Andrea. He has held numerous exhibitions in Italy and abroad.

In 1986 he was awarded the Guggenheim Prize for an Italian artist; in the same year he had a solo room at the Art International Exposition in Chicago. In 1990 and 1991 he held solo exhibitions at the Philippe Daverio Gallery in New York. In 1995 and 1998 he was invited with a solo room to the Venice Biennale. In 1996 he was bestowed the title of Academico di San Luca.
Since 1997 he has taught at the International School of Art in Montecastello di Vibio. In 1989 a retrospective of his work was staged at the former Convent of San Francesco in Sciacca; another in 1992 at Palazzo Sarcinelli in Conegliano and in 1997 at Villa Foscarini Rossi in Stra. In February 1999 a large retrospective opened in Milan, in the Sala Viscontea of the Castello Sforzesco; in the summer of 2000 he was a guest of the Ballinglen Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland.
In 1997 Marsilio published a comprehensive monograph on him, with texts by Massimo Cacciari, Guido Giuffrè and the artist.
Ruggero Savinio is also a writer. In 1981 he published with Scheiwiller the short story L’età dell’oro; in 1992 Percorsi della figura (La Cometa), and, in the same year, Ombra portata (Anabasi). In 1996 Paesaggio con figura (Le lettere). His writings have appeared in magazines such as Carte segrete, La Tartaruga, Paragone, Linea d’ombra, Nuovi argomenti, Pagine, L'Almanacco dell'Altana, Anima. A text of his is forthcoming in the Italian short story anthology of the 20th century, in Mondadori’s Meridiani.

Recent exhibition in 2022 in Milan at Palazzo Reale:

RUGGERO SAVINIO. Works 1959-2022
https://www.palazzorealemilano.it/mostre/opere-1959-2022

On display in Milan the painting of Ruggero Savinio, nephew of Giorgio de Chirico
https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/arte-contemporanea/2022/07/mostra-ruggero-savinio-milano-palazzo-reale/