Bruno Cassinari (1912-1992) - La modella

Lithograph on paper in 6 colors - Hand-signed artwork at the bottom right and numbered at the bottom left - 50x70 cm - Year 1989 - Limited edition - Item will be shipped with a guarantee certificate 54/120 - Without frame - Excellent condition - Private collection - Purchased and originating from Italy - Shipping via UPS, SDA, DHL, TNT, BRT
Biography
Bruno Cassinari was born in Piacenza on October 29, 1912. From 1926 to 1929, he studied first at the Gazzola art school in Piacenza, then in Milan, at the Umanitaria and at the evening art schools of Brera and Castello. His first public appearance was in 1933, during the "Exhibition of Piacenza Artists," Salone del Gotico, Piacenza. In 1934, he was admitted to the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated under the guidance of Aldo Carpi, who also taught Ennio Morlotti. Painting by Bruno Cassinari. In 1938, the periodical "Corrente di Vita Giovanile" was founded, and the eponymous group formed by Cassinari, Treccani, Morlotti, Guttuso, Birolli, Chighine, Ajmone, and De Grada. Cassinari had his first solo exhibition in 1941, at the Bottega degli Artisti di Corrente in Milan, and participated in the "III Premio Bergamo." To escape fascist roundups, in 1942 he took refuge, together with Ennio Morlotti, in Mondonico and during the summer in Gropparello. Then, in 1943, following severe financial difficulties, with the intervention of the collector Della Ragione, the Bottega degli Artisti di Corrente became the Galleria della Spiga e di Corrente. Works by Cassinari, Morlotti, and Treccani were exhibited there. The bond between Cassinari and Morlotti strengthened, and together they designed the poster for Labor Day. At the "Fra Galgario Prize for Portrait and Self-Portrait," Cassinari won first prize with a portrait, jointly with Bernasconi and Morlotti. He also won first prize at the "Pro Fondo Matteotti" exhibition at the Galleria Guglielmini in Milan. The short-lived periodical "Il 45" was founded by Cassinari along with De Grada, De Micheli, Gatto, Guttuso, Morlotti, Treccani, Terra, and Vittorini. In 1947, Cassinari participated in the exhibition "Quarante ans d'art italien du Futurisme à nos jours" (Forty Years of Italian Futurist Art in Our Days) at the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne. He traveled to Paris with his companions Birolli, Morlotti, and Morosini, and became acquainted with the works of Picasso. Then, in 1948, he exhibited at the 24th Venice Biennale, followed by the "Premio città di Alessandria" National Art Exhibition, where he won first prize with "Nudo nella Cattedrale" (Nude in the Cathedral). In 1949, he opened a studio in Antibes near the Grimaldi Museum. There, he met Braque, Chagall, Éluard, and Cocteau. He participated in the "Contemporary Italian Painting" exhibition in Venice and in the "Twenty-Century Italian Art" exhibition, which included 350 works by Italy's most important living artists, organized at the MOMA in New York. At the 26th Venice Biennale in 1952, a solo exhibition was dedicated to the artist. He shared the Grand Prize for Italian Painting with Saletti. New York gallery owner Catherine Viviano asked Cassinari to join her team, along with Birolli, Afro, Vedova, and Morlotti, but Cassinari declined. Subsequently, in 1953, he participated in the "4th Gallarate City Painting Prize," winning first prize with the work "Woman in Purple." In 1956, he took part in the 28th Venice Biennale and the "Modern Italian Art" exhibition from the Eric Estorick Collection, which opened at the Tate Gallery in London. In 1957, at the "VIII Mostra Nazionale Premio del Fiorino" in Florence, he was awarded the city's gold diploma. He also participated in the exhibition "Italian Art from 1910 to Today" at the Haus der Kunst in Munich and in "Painting in Post-War Italy 1945-1957," organized by Columbia University in New York and the Matthiesen Gallery in London. In 1959, he held solo and group exhibitions, including: at the Palazzo della Permanente in Milan, on the occasion of the exhibition "50 Years of Art in Milan from Divisionism to the Present Day"; the "Documenta II" exhibition in Kassel; and the "VIII Quadriennale Nazionale d'Arte di Roma" at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni. In 1960, he presented 13 paintings from 1958-1959 at the XXX International Art Biennale in Venice. That same year, he held a solo exhibition organized by the Galleria Annunciata in Milan. A significant moment for the artist was marked by the holding of his first major retrospective at the Kunsthalle Darmstadt, which later moved to Berlin, at the Haus am Lutzowplatz, in 1961. Between 1966 and 1968, he presented a solo exhibition at the Galleria Bergamini in Milan, featuring the premiere of his floral-themed works, and participated in the 25th National Biennale of Milan, held at the Palazzo della Permanente. From 1969 to 1972, he participated in the exhibition "I Pittori italiani del ‘900. Prima serie: dal 1940" (Italian Painters of the 20th Century. First Series: from 1940) at the Palazzo Reale in Milan. A major retrospective of his paintings and sculptures was presented at the Galleria Annunciata in Milan. Between 1975 and 1978, F. Russoli presented the artist's solo exhibition, featuring recent works, at the Tavolozza in Palermo. He created eighteen large stained-glass windows for the church of the Annunciata in Sant'Agata dei Goti. An exhibition of works painted between 1974 and 1977 was held at the Centro Annunciata in Milan. In 1980, the Galleria Farsetti in Marina di Pietrasanta hosted a solo exhibition of the artist's twenty-three gouaches, painted between 1946 and 1953. The Galleria Italiana di Arte in Busto Arsizio also held a retrospective exhibition of oils, drawings, sculptures, and lithographs. Finally, Cassinari created seven large stained-glass windows for the church of San Domenico in Siena. A major retrospective exhibition, held in the rooms of Palazzo Farnese in Piacenza, was exhibited in 1983. This was followed in 1985 by the solo exhibition "Opere scelte 1931-1934," organized by the Galleria del Milione in Milan, and in 1986 by an extensive retrospective at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, comprising 245 works, including oils, sculptures, drawings, and watercolors. From 1987 to 1991, L. Caramel organized the exhibition "Arte svelata. Collezionismo privato a Como dall'Ottocento ad oggi" at the Ratti Foundation. Two solo exhibitions were held: at the Galleria Biasutti in Turin and at the N. Silbelberg Galleries in New York, "An exhibition of paintings by Bruno Cassinari." He exhibited at the Galleria Bergamini in Milan, presented by Dell'Acqua. On March 26, 1992, he died suddenly in his studio on Via San Tomaso.