Quinto Martini: The Forgotten Artist Imprisoned by Fascists

Quinto Martini (Seano, 1908 – Florence, 1990), a self-taught artist discovered by Ardengo Soffici, faced imprisonment by the fascist regime for his anti-fascist stance. Soffici, impressed by Martini's drawings, published his works in the magazine 'Il Selvaggio' in 1926 and included him in the first collective exhibition around the publication. Martini then dedicated himself fully to art, drawing from Giotto in painting and archaic forms in sculpture, as seen in 'Paesana' (1928, stone and terracotta). That year he moved to Turin for military service, meeting Felice Casorati and Carlo Levi. Returning to Seano, he resumed his relationship with Soffici. In the 1930s, his sculpture, influenced by Etruscan art, gained critical attention. He exhibited at the Galleria della Cometa in Rome, the Venice Biennale (1934, terracotta sculpture 'Ragazza Seanese'), and all editions of the Rome Quadriennale from 1935 to 1972. A friend of Carlo Levi, Martini was threatened by the regime, culminating in the closure of his solo show at the Lyceum in Florence and months of imprisonment. He recounted this period in the autobiographical novel 'I giorni sono lunghi' (1957), describing his clandestine life in the Tuscan countryside to escape the Germans. From the 1950s, he created large cement sculptures, often portraits of family members. In the 1980s, he deepened his ties to Seano, where a park with 36 bronze sculptures was inaugurated in 1988.