José Fioravanti
Encyclopedia
José Fioravanti was a prolific Argentine sculptor known for the many civic monuments he created.
in 1896. He developed a very early interest in sculpture
, and learned the art in the city's numerous private atelier
s. The self-taught sculptor first exhibited in 1912 at that year's National Salon, and won the First Prize in his category during the 1919 National Salon for his work, My Sister María.
His work during the next several years consisted mainly of Realist portrait
busts created by casting
, notably that of former President José Figueroa Alcorta
for its placement over the latter's La Recoleta Cemetery
crypt. He traveled in Europe
from 1924 to 1927 and adopted the method of direct carving, without the use of maquette
s. Fioravanti exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Madrid
, and in the Luxembourg Museum
, in Paris
.
He then secured two solo exhibitions in Buenos Aires, including a 1928 Friend of the Arts event inaugurated by President Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
, who commissioned Fioravanti to create decorative relief
s for the Casa Rosada
's interiors. Fioravanti returned to Paris in 1929. He earned increasing renown in the French capital, and in 1934 was honored with a solo exhibition at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume
.
Returning to Argentina in 1935, Fioravanti was appointed Professor at the College of Fine Arts. His portrait of his wife, painter Ludvilla Feodorounam (Woman with Book), earned him a gold medal at the 1936 National Salon. Establishing an atelier in seaside La Lucila del Mar, he created numerous landmark monuments in the ensuing years, including memorials in Buenos Aires to Presidents Nicolás Avellaneda
and Roque Sáenz Peña
(1935–37), Venezuela
n General Simón Bolívar
(1942), U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, as well as two sea lion
effigies guarding an esplanade in Mar del Plata
(1941), a memorial in Montevideo
to Uruguay
an General Fructuoso Rivera
(1965), and to General Manuel Savio
, father of the Argentine steel industry, in Villa María, Córdoba (1969).
Another significant series of Fioravanti's work would adorn the National Flag Memorial
, a landmark overlooking the Paraná River
in the city of Rosario
. The memorial, built between 1947 and 1957, would feature Fioravanti's allegorical sculpture
s (Los Andes
, Río Paraná, and The Motherland). It would be the second sigficant collaboration with Alfredo Bigatti
, who created the allegories representing the Four Freedoms
for the Roosevelt memorial.
Fioravanti died in 1977, in Buenos Aires.
Life and work
Fioravanti was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1896. He developed a very early interest in sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and learned the art in the city's numerous private atelier
Atelier
Atelier is the French word for "workshop", and in English is used principally for the workshop of an artist in the fine or decorative arts.Atelier may also refer to:* The Atelier Method of art instruction...
s. The self-taught sculptor first exhibited in 1912 at that year's National Salon, and won the First Prize in his category during the 1919 National Salon for his work, My Sister María.
His work during the next several years consisted mainly of Realist portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
busts created by casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
, notably that of former President José Figueroa Alcorta
José Figueroa Alcorta
José Figueroa Alcorta was President of Argentina from 12 March 1906 to 12 October 1910.Figueroa Alcorta was born in Córdoba as the son of José Figueroa and Teodosia Alcorta. He was elected a National Representative for Córdoba before becoming Provincial Governor in 1895. In 1898 he returned to the...
for its placement over the latter's La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the exclusive Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, and several presidents of Argentina.- History :...
crypt. He traveled in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from 1924 to 1927 and adopted the method of direct carving, without the use of maquette
Maquette
A maquette is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished architectural work or a sculpture...
s. Fioravanti exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Madrid
Museum of Modern Art, Madrid
The Museum of Modern Art was the Spanish national museum dedicated to 19th and 20th century painting. It was set up in 1894...
, and in the Luxembourg Museum
Musée du Luxembourg
Musée du Luxembourg is a museum in Paris, France. It occupies the east wing of the Palais du Luxembourg, whose matching west wing originally housed Ruben's Marie de' Medici cycle. Since 2000 it has been run by the French Ministry of Culture and the Senate and is devoted to temporary exhibitions...
, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
He then secured two solo exhibitions in Buenos Aires, including a 1928 Friend of the Arts event inaugurated by President Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
Máximo Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear Pacheco , better known as Marcelo T. de Alvear was an Argentine politician and President of Argentina from October 12, 1922 to October 12, 1928.-Biography:...
, who commissioned Fioravanti to create decorative relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s for the Casa Rosada
Casa Rosada
La Casa Rosada is the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina, and of the offices of the President. The President normally lives at the Quinta de Olivos, a compound in Olivos, Buenos Aires Province. Its characteristic color is pink, and is considered one of the most...
's interiors. Fioravanti returned to Paris in 1929. He earned increasing renown in the French capital, and in 1934 was honored with a solo exhibition at the Galerie nationale du 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...
.
Returning to Argentina in 1935, Fioravanti was appointed Professor at the College of Fine Arts. His portrait of his wife, painter Ludvilla Feodorounam (Woman with Book), earned him a gold medal at the 1936 National Salon. Establishing an atelier in seaside La Lucila del Mar, he created numerous landmark monuments in the ensuing years, including memorials in Buenos Aires to Presidents Nicolás Avellaneda
Nicolás Avellaneda
Nicolás Remigio Aurelio Avellaneda Silva was an Argentine politician and journalist, and president of Argentina from 1874 to 1880. Avellaneda's main projects while in office were banking and education reform, leading to Argentina's economic growth...
and Roque Sáenz Peña
Roque Sáenz Peña
Roque Sáenz Peña Lahitte was President of Argentina from 12 October 1910 to 9 August 1914, when he died in office...
(1935–37), Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n General Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
(1942), U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, as well as two sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
effigies guarding an esplanade in Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
(1941), a memorial in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an General Fructuoso Rivera
Fructuoso Rivera
José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana was an Uruguayan general and patriot who assisted in the efforts to force Brazilians out of the Banda Oriental.-Founder of Colorado Party and President of Uruguay:...
(1965), and to General Manuel Savio
Manuel Savio
Manuel Nicolás Aristóbulo Savio was an Argentine engineer and military man, noted for his contribution to Argentine heavy industry in his roles as general manager of Fabricaciones Militares and SOMISA.-Biography:Savio enrolled in the Military Academy on 3 March 1909, and graduated as...
, father of the Argentine steel industry, in Villa María, Córdoba (1969).
Another significant series of Fioravanti's work would adorn the National Flag Memorial
National Flag Memorial (Argentina)
The National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River...
, a landmark overlooking the Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
in the city of Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
. The memorial, built between 1947 and 1957, would feature Fioravanti's allegorical sculpture
Allegorical sculpture
Allegorical sculpture refers to sculptures that symbolize and particularly personify abstract ideas as in allegory.Common in the western world, for example, are statues of 'Justice', a female figure traditionally holding scales in one hand, as a symbol of her weighing issues and arguments, and a...
s (Los Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, Río Paraná, and The Motherland). It would be the second sigficant collaboration with Alfredo Bigatti
Alfredo Bigatti
Alfredo Bigatti was an Argentine sculptor, medalist, and visual artist.Born in Buenos Aires, Bigatti studied and then taught at the Academy of Fine Arts, and then toured numerous countries in Europe from 1924 through 1928, including studying in Paris with Antoine Bourdelle.Bigatti's major work is...
, who created the allegories representing the Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech , he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:# Freedom of speech and expression# Freedom of worship#...
for the Roosevelt memorial.
Fioravanti died in 1977, in Buenos Aires.