Bruno Saetti biography

Bruno Saetti, born in Bologna on 21 November 1902 and passed away in the same city on 10 July 1984, was an Italian artist of great importance in the panorama of twentieth-century art . A painter and printmaker, he stood out for his skill in the use of various artistic techniques and for his distinctive style, which combined expressionist realism and careful compositional rigor.
Bruno Saetti's artistic training began at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, where he graduated in 1924. It was in this city that he began his artistic career, organizing his first personal exhibition in 1927, thanks to the "Francesco Francia" Promotion Society for Fine Arts. This exhibition marks the beginning of a long and fruitful career.
In 1928, Bruno Saetti was admitted to the prestigious Venice Biennale with the work "The Judgment of Paris", inaugurating a lasting relationship with the event, in which he participated for 14 editions. On these occasions, he received important recognition, such as a personal room in 1938 and various prizes in the 1950s. 1929 is another significant year for the artist, who wins the Baruzzi prize with "Bathers" and participates in the International Exhibition of Barcelona, further strengthening his his artistic profile.
Bruno Saetti does not limit himself to painting, but also explores graphics, engravings, lithographs, glass decorations and mosaics. 1961 saw him engaged in a relief project in glass tiles for the church of San Giovanni Battista in Florence, also known as the Church of the Autostrada del Sole. In 1949-1950, he created "La ordinina" at the request of the entrepreneur Giuseppe Verzocchi, who wanted to create a collection of paintings on the theme of work. This work, together with one of his self-portraits, is today preserved in the Verzocchi Collection at the Pinacoteca civica di Forlì.
Starting from 1930, he became a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, later also assuming the role of director from 1950 to 1956. His students include Giorgio Bordini, Olghina di Robilant, Federico De Rocco and Riccardo Schweizer.
Bruno Saetti stands out above all as a master in the art of frescoing, a technique he began practicing in 1935, inspired by a visit to Pompeii. Among his best-known frescoes are the "Holy Family" (1958, University of Padua) and "Conversation with the Angel" (1974, fresco on canvas in the Gallery of modern art of Bologna). His mastery in this field led him to be invited by the government of Japan to lecture at the University of Tokyo in 1970.
Bruno Saetti's works are exhibited in numerous international and anthological exhibitions, including those organized in Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Sofia and Bucharest. After his death, his work was the subject of a large anthology at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. His works can be found in the main Italian and foreign museums, such as the Museo Novecento in Florence, the MAMbo in Bologna and in various European cities and Tokyo.
In 2002, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, the "56" gallery in Bologna dedicated a tribute to him. Between the end of 2004 and the first months of 2005, the anthological exhibition "Bruno Saetti 1902-1984 - Between intimacy and sublimation", curated by Rossana Bossaglia, was held at Palazzo Sarcinelli in Conegliano.
Bruno Saetti was a painter of sensual female nudes, of maternity and landscapes, as well as symbolic figures such as angels. Rejecting the languages ​​of the avant-garde, he stands for an expressionist realism, supported by a severe compositional rigor. His passing in 1984 at the age of 82 marked the end of an era in Italian art, but his artistic legacy continues to influence and inspire.