GIORGIO DE CHIRICO ( 1888 -1978 )

Giorgio De Chirico was born on July 10^th, 1888 in Volos (Greece) from Evaristo, railway engineer engaged in the construction of the Tessaly railroad, and from Gemma Cervetto, a noble woman with genoan origins.
In 1891 his family moves to Athens and it is in the Greek capital that his brother Andrea was born, he is designed to be known with the pseudonym of Alberto Savinio as a writer and musician.
In 1896 the family moves back to his native city, where, despite the young age, he has the chance to attend his first drawing lessons from the Greek painter Mavrudis, then from Carlo Barbieri and from Jules-Louis Gilliéron, a Swiss teacher who transmits to him his passion for ancient ruins and teaches him the first techniques to paint them.
His father’s job, which was at that time the construction of the railway line Athens-Saloniki, is the main reason for a new move to Athens. Here the young De Chirico attends the Leonino Jesuit Lyceum for a short time, after which he returns to private teachers.
In 1900 he completes his first painting, a still life with lemons.
From 1903 he attends his drawing and painting courses at the Polytechnic, where he will study for three years, and in 1905 he suffers the death of his father.
In September 1906 his mother decides to leave Greece and move to Munich.
In that German city the artist attends the Academy of Fine Arts and gets keen on studying Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer, passion meant to last over many years.
After a year his mother goes back to Italy with his brother for Andrea to deepen his music studies.
De Chirico stays in Germany in order to carry on his studies; he joins them in 1909, when he settles down in Milan, in via Petrarca.
His most famous painting production, the metaphysical period, is now beginning.
In January 1910 he moves to Florence with his brother but he soon falls into depression, he consequently retires in Vallombrosa, not far away from Florence.
His artistic production is not interrupted though, it is now particularly influenced by Tuscan art and architecture which now surround him: the perspective construction of his paintings clearly recalls the ancient art from Florence.
In July 1911 the artist and his mother join Andrea, who had meanwhile moved to Paris. A short stop in Turin impresses De Chirico’s mind and art. In that very place Nietzsche had lived the moments which then brought to his madness.
He is back in Turin few months later, in 1912, in order to pay his military service, but he gives up after a few days and makes his way back to Paris.
There his mere artistic and display career has a beginning: the contact with the French artistic and cultural vanguard atmosphere, and later on with the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, helps him widen his production and participate to several exhibitions, first of which the one in 1912 at the Salon d' Automne of Grand Palais. His works directly impress the critics.
The following year his works are displayed at the Salon des Indépendants, arousing Picasso’s and Apollinaire’s interest as much as to bring them to his studio in search of further works. They both then write about him showing their strong appreciation.
In 1913 Apollinaire also organizes with De Chirico a presentation of his works and he introduces him to Paul Guillaume, his first agent, with whom he immediately signs a contract.
In 1914 Apollinaire goes to war and, as him, several artists and friends leave France. De Chirico stays there a few months longer beginning his last iconographic series related to Paris, Manichini.
In May 1915 he goes back to Italy with his brother and with him he is firstly destined to the district of Florence and then transferred to Ferrara.
Here the artist falls back into such a delicate depression that he is assigned to a sedentary job at the military hospital Villa del Seminario.
However, De Chirico keeps in touch with Guillaume, with whom he renovates his contract, and he asks Giuseppe Ungaretti to take care of his works remained in Paris.
The artist approaches the dada entourage and the poets and painters from Ferrara Group.
From the end of January up to the spring of 1917 the artist, still affected by nervous breakdowns, is hospitalized in the military hospital of Ferrara and it is right there that he meets Carlo Carrà.
The great futurist master is so impressed by De Chirico's art as to start himself a new series of works with unmistakable metaphysical inspiration.
That is how, together with Savinio and De Pisis, the Metaphysical Painting group sees its first light.
From the end of 1917 De Chirico intensifies his visits to Rome, where he finally moves with his mother in 1918.
Just a year later he displays his first solo exhibition in Rome, for which occasion his writing Noi metafisici is published on «Cronache d'attualità». The display has little critique success.
During that year he signs a contract with Mario Broglio for the sole right on his artistic and literary work and the first monograph dedicated to him is published.
In March 1920 he exhibits for the first time in Milan in a collective display for the opening of Galleria Arte, presented by Margherita Sarfatti.
A year later the same gallery dedicates a solo display to him.
In 1921 he lives between Rome, Milan and Florence, where he studies tempera and painting on wood.
De Chirico is highly appreciated abroad during these years, several collective exhibitions are organized and carefully reviewed by the press.
In October 1923 he takes part of the II Biennale in Rome and to the Quadriennale in Turin, obtaining appreciation by critics who are unfavourable again during the XIV Venice Biennale.
At the end of 1923 he settles down in Rome and he meets his future wife, Raissa Gurievich Krol, prima ballerina in the Histoire du soldat by Igor Stravinskij, at Teatro degli Undici in Palazzo Odescalchi, founded and directed by Luigi Pirandello.
With Raissa, in the autumn of 1924, De Chirico goes to Paris, where he moves a year later.
Here is where his passion for theatre scenes and costumes begins.
Among the displays of 1924, the most remarkable are the one in Nationalgalerie of Berlin and the XIV Venice Biennale.
His works start circulating all over the world and the relationships with the surrealists are still good, but not for a long time.
In 1926 Breton writes an article for the 7th number of “Révolution Surréaliste” defining De Chirico as a “lost genius”, to testify the total fracture.
The artist starts displaying with Novecento and gives life to his new topics: Manichini, Archeologi, Cavalli in riva al mare, inspired by a new interest for the Mediterranean light and myth.
His displays are organized in many countries, both collective and solos, while his works enter the most important museums around the world.
In 1929 the Éditions du Carrefour by Pierre Lévy publish the most important literary work of the master, Hebdomeros, le peintre et son génie chez l'écrivain, fundamental in the comprehension of his paintings as well.
At the end of 1930 the wedding with Raissa, celebrated few months earlier, suffers a deep crisis which soon leads to a final separation.
In 1931 the artist meets Isabella Pakzswer (later Isabella Far), who will be his second wife and stay with him until his death.
Several solo and collective exhibitions are hosted in France, England, Germany, the United States and Czechoslovakia.
In 1932 De Chirico leaves Paris and moves to Florence; though he keeps travelling quite frequently, his displays are mostly concentrated in Italy. Besides a solo exhibition in Florence and another one in Milan, he participates again to the Biennale in Venice.
In 1933 his works are displayed at the V Triennale of Milan for which he completes a monumental fresco La Cultura Italiana, which is destroyed afterwards.
In 1934 De Chirico moves back to Paris and he stays there until January 1938, a few months after the death of his mother.
After a few days’ stay in Rome, he moves to Milan but just a year later he feels forced to leave Italy and move to Paris, displeased by the so-called “enactments for the defence of the race”.
From 1940 he lives between Milan and Florence. His most recent art works, completely technically renewed, are presented in two solo displays in Turin and Milan.
In June 1942 he participates to the XXIII Venice Biennale where he receives negative critics.
De Chirico writes numerous theoretical articles on several periodicals and his important essay La Forma nell'Arte e nella Natura, published on «L'Illustrazione Italiana» of March 21^st, 1943 and later on attributed to Isabella Far.
In 1944 the artist permanently settles down in Rome.
The controversy with critics goes on as they do not understand the meaning of his sixteenth-seventeenth century costumed self-portraits.
In June 1946 a solo exhibition is held in Paris at Galerie Allard: De Chirico declares all the works dated between 1910 and 1920 to have been painted by Oscar Dominguez. The campaign on the authenticity of his paintings now begins, and it is meant to go on and get harder and harder throughout the years.
In 1947 De Chirico marries Isabella and his studio is moved to Piazza di Spagna 31.
At the end of 1948 he is nominated member of the Royal Society of British Artists.
As a controversial act against the Venice Biennale, in 1950 De Chirico organizes the “Antibiennale” in the building of the Società Canottieri Bucintoro of Venice. As much controversial is his personal display held in the same building in 1952 and 1954.
On May 5^th, 1952 his brother Alberto Savinio dies from a heart attack. From that day on, De Chirico will mourn him by wearing a black tie.
The displays in Italy and abroad are still numerous and largely reviewed by the press.
De Chirico keeps showing his controversy towards modern painting by writing on several magazines and even participating to television shows.
During the sixties De Chirico revises his most beloved topics with slight variations and he illustrates some literature masterpieces such as Promessi Sposi, Iliad and Auf der Galerie by Franz Kafka. His work is now widely appreciated by both public and market.
In 1962 Memorie della mia vita is released in Milan by Rizzoli publications.
Between 1966 and 1968 the Neo-metaphysical period begins, revising the whole of his metaphysical art with high colours and child eyes.
At the end of the sixties he dedicates to the bronze circulation of the sculptures he had been working to through the last few years, later on the artist will start creating silver plated and golden bronze multiples and producing silver and golden silver sculpture-jewels.
In 1970 an important anthological display takes place in Palazzo Reale in Milan and a solo exhibition is hosted at the Civic Gallery of Modern Art and at Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara with the name of I De Chirico di De Chirico. In 1970 he also publishes his piece of writing Ego Sum Pictor Optimus on «Bolaffi Arte».
In 1971 Claudio Bruni Sakraischik releases for Electa publications the first of the eight volumes of Catalogo Generale di Giorgio De Chirico.
In 1974 he is nominated Academic of France and in 1975 an anthological display at the Musée Marmottan of Paris comes along with the conferring of the Academic Spadino of France.
In 1976 he receives the Major Officer Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In 1978 his ninetieth birthday is celebrated in Italy with an event in Campidoglio, and in France with an exhibition promoted by Isabella Far at the Artcurial of Paris and with the publication of De Chirico par de Chirico.
On November 20^th, 1978 Giorgio De Chirico dies in Rome after having been hospitalized for some time in a roman clinic. From 1991 he rests in San Francesco a Ripa, in Rome.
From 1986 the Giorgio and Isa De Chirico Foundation preserves the artist's intellectual and artistic personality. On November 19^th, 1990 Isabella Far dies in Rome. To the Giorgio and Isa De Chirico Foundation, nominated heiress, goes the house of the Master and the largest part of his artistic patrimony.
In 1998, for the 20th anniversary of the artist's death, the Giorgio De Chirico House-Museum is opened in Rome, in the artist's residence of Piazza di Spagna.

Biography by Natalia Sassu Suarez Ferri