Alberto Sani, the Illiterate Woodcutter Who Became an Outsider Art Star, Gets a Siena Exhibition

A new exhibition at the Magazzini del Sale in Siena's Palazzo Pubblico, titled "Alberto Sani. Quando la scultura diventa poesia," celebrates the life and work of Alberto Sani (1897–1964), a self-taught sculptor from Sovicille, Tuscany. Sani, a semi-literate woodcutter and farmer, began carving wood during his military service in World War I, later switching to sandstone on the advice of painter and publisher Dario Neri, founder of Electa. Neri became his patron, introducing him to intellectuals like Bernard Berenson, who championed his work. Despite going nearly blind in the 1940s, Sani continued sculpting. In 1934, the Uffizi acquired his cycle "I Dodici Mesi." In 1950, his relief "Macellazione dei maiali" entered the MoMA collection. He also exhibited at the 1952 Rome Quadriennale, winning the Premio Provincia di Roma, and was selected for the 1958 Biennale d'arte sacra in Bologna. The Siena show, curated by Michela Eremita, features 50 works, including a recently acquired piece, "La mondatura delle castagne."