ANTONELLO RIZZA - The Painter Of The Universe

Biography

Born in Noto, Sicily, in 1926, at the age of 23 he moved to Rome, where he completed his artistic studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, perfecting his artistic skills thanks to the inspiration of his teachers, among which stand out the names of Cipriano Oppo, Gerardo Dottori, Renato Guttuso, Beppe Guzzi, Mino Maccari and Umberto Mariani. His name appeared among the "Netine personalities of all time" (1969) and among other famous artists in the Bolaffi catalog in 1975 and 1978. In 1976 he obtained the qualification for teaching History of Art in high schools. He was appointed associate member of the Tiberina Academy for the merits demonstrated during his activity as an artist.

Activities of Sculptor

The activity of sculptor of Antonello Rizza began already from his early youth, to which recordings on Belgian black marble date back to Roman landscapes and monuments. Also portrayed famous people, including J.F. Kennedy, Truman, Ford, Gronchi, Elizabeth of England, Fabiola of Belgium and Pope John II. In particular, the portrait of the Pontiff was given to him by the artist himself during a private audience which took place on December 15, 1982.

Painter Activity

The painting by Antonello Rizza is part of the figurative, with particular preference for the personal representation of the astrophysical universe, from which derives its epithet "The Painter of the Universe". Many critics have reviewed it as: Luigi Tallarico, Renato Civello, Bruno Morini, Alfonso Gatto, Elio Mercuri, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Riccardo Sgroi, Gerardo Dottori, Massimo Grillandi, Elio Vittorini, Gaetano Salvati, Francesco Boneschi, Corrado Sofia, MarcelloAvenali, Mario Rivosecchi, Romolo Runcini and others. The art critic Luigi Scrivo has included him in the panorama of Italian Futurism. In the early '70s he was among the artists who attended and exhibited at the Studio Soligo art gallery, which at the same time hosted painters such as Mario Schifano, Giulio Turcato, Tano Festa and Franco Angeli, the leading exponents of Roman pop art, better known as the "Piazza del Popolo school". In his hometown a permanent exhibition was set up in the reading room inside the "Principe di Villadorata" public library. His other works are kept in the Quirinale in Rome, in the Royal Palace of Belgium, in Buckingham Palace, in the White House in the Australian Government and in the Science Museum in Finland.