Pietro De Laurentiis: The Forgotten Italian Architect-Sculptor and Environmental Activist
Born in Roccascalegna, Abruzzo, Pietro De Laurentiis (1920–1971) was an Italian artist known for his contributions to architecture, sculpture, and cultural activism. He graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1946 and received recognition at the 1939 Rassegna delle Arti figurative in Chieti. For over four decades, he taught Plastica ornamentale. His early works featured an eagle sculpture for Luigi Moretti's GIL building (circa 1940) and bronze grilles for Sant'Eugenio (1949). In the 1950s, he fused Cubism with folklore, organizing cultural conferences in Pescara. Notable projects included Le Città Illuminate (1959) and a fountain for Ancona (1959). He advocated for the preservation of Rome's green spaces and was posthumously celebrated with a 1989 exhibition at the University of Rome.
Key facts
- Pietro De Laurentiis was born in 1920 in Roccascalegna, Abruzzo, and died in 1971.
- He won a prize at the 1939 Rassegna delle Arti figurative in Chieti with Ritratto di vecchio contadino.
- He graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome in 1946 and taught at Rome's Faculty of Architecture for over 40 years.
- Early commissions included work for Luigi Moretti's GIL building, Civitavecchia Cathedral in 1948, and Sant'Eugenio in Rome in 1949.
- In 1959, he created two large bronze panels, Le Città Illuminate, for ACEA's Rome headquarters.
- He campaigned with Italia Nostra and WWF to protect Rome's green spaces, saving Villa Carpegna, Villa Torlonia, and Villa Blanc.
- In 1989, the University of Rome's Faculty of Architecture held a conference and anthological exhibition for him, with a catalog essay by Filiberto Menna.
- A focus on his work is featured in the Museo Heritage at ACEA, and his legacy is maintained by the Associazione Pietro De Laurentiis.
Entities
Artists
- Pietro De Laurentiis
- Luigi Moretti
- Sandro Penna
- Francesco Coccia
- Nazareno Gattamelata
- Giulio Carlo Argan
- Filiberto Menna
- Eugenio Battisti
- Ludovico Quaroni
- Antonio Cederna
- Fulco Pratesi
- Ludovico Pratesi
Institutions
- Accademia di Belle Arti
- Faculty of Architecture of Rome
- University of Rome
- GIL
- Quadriennale
- Spazio
- ACEA
- INPS
- Italia Nostra
- WWF
- Museo Heritage
- Fondazione Acea
- Associazione Pietro De Laurentiis
- Artribune
Locations
- Roccascalegna
- Abruzzo
- Italy
- Chieti
- Rome
- Civitavecchia
- Pescara
- Ancona
- Villa Blanc
- Villa Carpegna
- Villa Torlonia