Cipriano Efisio Oppo
Encyclopedia
Early life
Trained at the Istituto di belle arti in Rome, he began his career as a caricaturist for L’Idea Nazionale. From 1910 he devoted himself to painting, tending towards the fauveFauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
s, in particular Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
. In 1914 he contributed to the exhibition given by the Roman Secession. He then aligned himself with the national tradition.
Cultural organizer
From the First World War onwards he tirelessly dedicated himself to organising Italian cultural and artistic life. As well as being a highly-regarded art critic writing for Rome's La Tribuna, his commitment led him to becoming an ambassador for art in public institutions. He became a deputy to Parliament and, in 1932, artistic director of the Exhibition of the Fascist RevolutionExhibition of the Fascist Revolution
The Exhibition of the Fascist Revolution was a show held in Rome at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni from 1932 to 1934. Opened by Mussolini on 28 October 1932, it had 4 million visitors....
. He was then appointed secretary of the Direttorio Nazionale dei Sindacati delle Arti Plastiche (National Directorate of Unions of the Plastic Arts) and secretary of the Consiglio Superiore delle Belle Arti (Superior Council of Fine Arts). However, in this field, his most successful work was setting up the Quadriennale di Roma, born from one of his ideas and guided by him as its secretary-general over its first four shows from 1931 to 1943.
During the 1930s and 1940s, he believed he should abstain from exhibiting in Italy, precisely because of his political-administrative activity in the artistic field, not that this stopped his participating in several shows abroad, such as L'art italien des XIX et XX siècles (19th and 20th Century Italian Art) at the Jeu de Paume
Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume
The Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume is a museum of contemporary art in the north-west corner of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.The building was constructed in 1861 during the reign of Napoleon III...
in Paris in 1935 and at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
Post-War
Deemed free to return to the Quadriennale as an artist, in its 5th (1948) and 6th (1951) shows.From 1949 to 1950, he was affiliated to the important collezione Verzocchi, as well as painting a self-portrait La fiorista. The Verzocchi collection is now held at the Pinacoteca Civica
Pinacoteca Civica di Forlì
The Pinacoteca Civica of Forlì, one of the civic museums of Forlì and currently based in the Musei di San Domenico, is an Italian art gallery. Artists whose work the gallery exhibits include:* Livio Agresti* Beato Angelico...
of Forlì
Forlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
.
Among his works are:
- Portrait of a lady (Roma, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte ModernaGalleria Nazionale d'Arte ModernaGalleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, or the National Gallery of Modern Art , is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, dedicated to modern art....
) - Eugenia in grey (TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Galleria d'arte moderna) - The florist (ForlìForlìForlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
, Pinacoteca CivicaPinacoteca Civica di ForlìThe Pinacoteca Civica of Forlì, one of the civic museums of Forlì and currently based in the Musei di San Domenico, is an Italian art gallery. Artists whose work the gallery exhibits include:* Livio Agresti* Beato Angelico...
)