Mario Calandri
Mario Calandri was a renowned Italian painter and engraver, born in 1914 in Turin and passed away in 1993 in the same city. His talent manifested itself from a young age, and he received artistic training at the art high schools of both Florence and Turin. In 1932, he began attending the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts of Turin, where he became assistant to Cesare Maggi, one of his masters. During this period, Mario Calandri took his first steps as a painter and exhibited his artworks in Rome and Venice.
In 1940, he participated for the first time in the Venice Biennale, an event of great importance in the Italian art scene, and continued to participate in the 1950, 1952, and 1958 editions. He also took part in important exhibitions such as the VIII, IX, and X editions of the Rome Quadriennale, thus consolidating his reputation as a talented artist.
After World War II, Mario Calandri became assistant to Marcello Boglione, teacher of Engraving Techniques at the Albertina Academy of Turin. When Boglione passed away in 1957, he took over his role as a substitute. From 1963 to 1977, he taught at the Albertina Academy of Turin, leaving an indelible mark on many generations of engravers.
Mario Calandri is recognized as one of the greatest engravers of the 20th century and reached a level of excellence in the field of graphics. However, he also proved to be a painter of great quality, capable of exploring and blending inventions and emotions between engraving and painting. He participated in numerous solo exhibitions and exhibited in important national and international exhibitions dedicated to engraved graphics.
After his death, attention on the artist grew even more. The retrospectives held in recent years have demonstrated his significant contribution to Italian art, both as a painter and as an engraver. His artistic legacy continues to influence and inspire art lovers around the world, testifying to his importance in the contemporary art scene.
