From Empires to Republics: The Grand European Transformations as seen through the works of Pietro Canonica, sculptor to Czars, Kings and Presidents.

 The conference will highlight  through an examination of the personality of Pietro Canonica (Moncalieri  1869 – Rome 1959), sculptor, painter and musician well-known in Europe, how the important moments of  his life and his artistic achievements correspond to important events in history and the world of art in the period between the 19th and the 20th centuries.

Gifted with an absolute mastery of technique and great ability and speed in working with the material, Canonica established himself within the ranks of the aristocracy in Italy and throughout the world,  gaining commissions for portraits and commemorative monuments, sculpted with rare expertise  and self-confidence.  At the end of the First World War he executed a number of war memorials for the new states born out of the ashes of the grand empires.  Later, in the 1930’s he had studios in Turin, Venice and Paris.  The conference and guided tour in Italian are by Bianca Maria Santese.