On Saturday 28 September at 17,30 pm, in the hall of the Circolo della Stampa of Avellino (Prefecture) at Corso Vittorio Emanuele 6, the Art History seminar “The Twentieth Century of Pietro D'Achiardi” will be held.
The event is promoted by the cultural circle of “ Amici del MdAO ”, with the collaboration of the Cultural Association ACO and the MdAO – Art Museum. With this event, the activity of promoting the History of Art and culture of the cultural circle of “ Amici del MdAO ” for this semester will begin.
Speakers: Prof. Angelo Cutolo, Dr. Gaetano Arciuolo, Dr. Antonio Carpentieri, Rev. Don Gerardo Capaldo. Prof. Stefano Orga (art critic) will speak with a report on the topic “The artistic activity of Pietro D'Achiardi”. The debate will be moderated by journalist Francesco Iannaccone. (For information and contacts: mdao@libero.it).
Pietro D'Achiardi, son of Antonio and Annamaria Camici, was born in Pisa on August 28, 1879 into a family of scientists and university professors. But Pietro made a different choice, he studied literature and painting at the same time. He graduated in literature in 1900. In 1901 he moved to Rome, where he studied History of Art, obtaining a diploma in History of Modern and Contemporary Art with Adolfo Venturi (1846-1941). He began to collaborate with the Roman magazine L'Arte. He made his debut in 1902 at the Exhibition of the Society of Amateurs and Cultivators of Rome.
He made several trips to European cities from 1905 to 1906, to deepen his historical-artistic studies. In 1905 he published the essay “The frescoes of San Pietro a Grado” near Pisa and those in the portico of the Vatican Basilica, in 1908 he published a monograph on Sebastiano del piombo. In the same year he obtained the teaching qualification in History of Medieval and Modern Art, but was called by Pope Pius X with the task of organizing the newly established Vatican Pinacoteca, he created the exhibition itinerary and chose the 277 works to be shown; the art gallery was inaugurated by the Pontiff on March 28, 1909, with Pope Pius XI.
In 1909 he won the competition for Inspector of the Borghese Gallery, remaining in activity until 1913. In the same year he entered the International Artistic Association with his teacher Adolfo Venturi. The following year he entered as an ordinary member of the Society of Watercolourists of Rome and also became a member of the Association of Italian Etchers. In 1910 he was appointed member of the Commission for the Retrospective Exhibitions of Castel Sant'Angelo. The following year he entered the artistic association "Secessione", becoming a leading figure, first as a councilor of the board and then as a delegate councilor. Also in 1911 he became inspector of the Office for the Export of Objects of Art and Antiquities. In 1913 he had to leave the post of Inspector at the Borghese Gallery, because he won the competition for full professor of History of Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, teaching until his death. He also had the post of professor at the Higher School of Architecture. He was appointed member of the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology. In 1929 he created the mosaics for the Sala del Mappamondo in Palazzo Venezia in Rome. From the mid-1920s Pietro d'Achiardi became famous for his works of Sacred Liturgical and devotional Art, the first mainly mosaic. He published various essays including: Raphael (1936), Characters and Values of Italian Art (1937), Giotto and Saint Francis (1938), Artistic Values and Critical Orientations (XNUMX). He created various mosaic works especially for basilicas and churches, being a fervent Catholic, among these are remembered the mosaics of the Basilica of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, those of the Church of the Ara Coeli in Rome, and those for the Tomb of Pius XI in the Vatican Grottoes.
He died in his hometown of Pisa on 21 December 1940.
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