Bruno Saetti biography

Bruno Saetti, born in Bologna on November 21, 1902, and passed away in the same city on July 10, 1984, was a prominent Italian artist in the 20th-century art scene. A painter and engraver, he stood out for his skill in using various artistic techniques and for his distinctive style, which combined expressionist realism with precise compositional rigor.
Bruno Saetti's artistic training began at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, where he graduated in 1924. It is in this city that he launched his artistic career, organizing his first solo exhibition in 1927, thanks to the "Francesco Francia" Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts. This exhibition marked the beginning of a long and fruitful career.
In 1928, Bruno Saetti was admitted to the prestigious Venice Biennale with the artwork "The Judgment of Paris", marking the beginning of a long-lasting relationship with the event, in which he participated in 14 editions. On these occasions, he received significant recognition, such as a personal room in 1938 and various awards in the 1950s. 1929 was another significant year for the artist, as he won the Baruzzi Prize with "Bathers" and participated in the International Exhibition of Barcelona, further strengthening his artistic profile.
Bruno Saetti does not limit himself to painting, but also explores graphics, engravings, lithographs, glass decorations, and mosaics. In 1961, he was involved in a significant project of glass tesserae relief 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 mondina" at the request of the entrepreneur Giuseppe Verzocchi, who wanted to create a collection of paintings on the theme of work. This artwork, along with a self-portrait, is now preserved in the Collezione Verzocchi at the Pinacoteca civica di Forlì.
Starting in 1930, he became a teacher at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, later also taking on the role of director from 1950 to 1956. Among his students were Giorgio Bordini, Olghina di Robilant, Federico De Rocco, and Riccardo Schweizer.
Bruno Saetti is distinguished primarily as a master in the art of fresco, a technique he began practicing in 1935, inspired by a visit to Pompeii. Among his most famous frescoes are the "Sacra Famiglia" (1958, University of Padua) and "Colloquio con l'angelo" (1974, fresco on canvas in the Gallery of Modern Art in Bologna). His mastery in this field led to an invitation from the Japanese government to give a lecture at the University of Tokyo in 1970.
The works of Bruno Saetti 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 comprehensive anthology at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. His works are found in major Italian and foreign museums, such as the Museo Novecento in Florence, the MAMbo in Bologna, and in various European cities and in 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 early months of 2005, the anthological exhibition "Bruno Saetti 1902-1984 - Between Intimism 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 of symbolic figures like angels. Rejecting the languages of the avant-garde, he adhered to an expressionist realism, supported by a strict compositional rigor. His passing in 1984 at the age of 82 marks the end of an era in Italian art, but his artistic legacy continues to influence and inspire.