Maestro Carlo Guarnieri
Carlo Guarnieri (1892-1988)
Born in Campiglia Marittima (Livorno) on 23 October 1892.
Apprentice of Egisto Ciappacasse, artist from Pisa, and then from 1906 to 1915 he attended the Regio Istituto di Belle Arti in Florence, from where he graduated in 1915. In that period his mentor was Adolfo De Carolis who took him under his wing and became his favourite pupil.
As an engraver, he was a member of the first group devoted to the revival of wood engraving in Italy and took part in the “Italian Wood Engraving Expo in Levanto” in 1912. While an apprentice with De Carolis, he met D’Annunzio.
His talents were not limited to graphics: as a painter, after the first exhibition in Florence in 1907, in 1914 he was invited to the XI International Art Exhibition of Venice. He had to leave Florence to serve in the First World War and was awarded three medals of merit.
In 1921 he was invited to the 1st Biennal in Rome and was present also at the following ones from 1923 to 1925. In 1923 he moved to Turin and the Tovez studio, where he found a close friend in Felice Carena. In 1927 he was made an honorary member of the “Painters’ and Sculptors’ Association” of Madrid.
After his spell in Turin, he moved to Rome where he worked for many years alongside friends including Sartorio, Selva, Marinetti, Arturo Martini etc.
After the Second World War he returned to his native Tuscany where the gentleness of the landscape and the proud simplicity of the people fascinated him. Over his many years of activity, he received and continues to receive accolades from critics and the press. His works have been exhibited in many cities: Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Paris, London, Tokyo, Madrid and Brussels. His works are found in important Italian and international collections.