Rediscovering Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi, the Painter Admired by Antonioni
Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi (1903–1990), an Italian artist often eclipsed by her son Folco Quilici, is experiencing a revival of interest. Originally named Emma Buzzacchi, she was born in Medole and relocated to Ferrara in 1929 following her marriage to journalist Nello Quilici. A pupil of Edgardo Rossaro, she showcased her work at the Venice Biennale from 1928 to 1950. Her inaugural solo exhibition took place in 1931, and she created frescoes in Libya between 1938 and 1940. After World War II, she returned to Comacchio, where she painted significant Delta landscapes. Noteworthy exhibitions included the Castello Estense in 1967 and Palazzo dei Diamanti in 1972. A retrospective occurred in 1998, and in 2016, the Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna featured "Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi. Tra segno e colore." Her family oversees her archive.
Key facts
- Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi was born Emma Buzzacchi in Medole in 1903 and died in Rome in 1990.
- She was a student of Edgardo Rossaro and exhibited at the Venice Biennale from 1928 to 1950.
- Filippo de Pisis praised her in 1925 as an effortless autodidact.
- Carlo Socrate curated her first solo show at Casa degli Artisti in Milan in 1931.
- She was invited to the first Quadriennale in 1931.
- She associated with Achille Funi during his fresco work in Ferrara (1934–38).
- She created woodcut covers for Rivista di Ferrara from 1933 to 1935.
- In 1938, she began frescoes for the Cappella del Villaggio Corradini in Libya, completed in 1940.
- Her husband Nello Quilici died in the 1940 Tobruk air crash with Italo Balbo.
- Giorgio Bassani presented her 1960 exhibition at Ferrara's chiostrino di San Romano.
- Michelangelo Antonioni admired her work, describing it in 1963 as landscapes in an ideal space of memory.
- In 1967, she participated in a Po River trip resulting in a show at Castello Estense.
- In 1972, she exhibited at Palazzo dei Diamanti.
- A 1998 retrospective was held at Palazzo Massari in Ferrara and Torre Civica in Medole.
- In 2016, Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna hosted the exhibition 'Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi. Tra segno e colore,' curated by Federica Pirani.
Entities
Artists
- Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi
- Emma Buzzacchi
- Folco Quilici
- Edgardo Rossaro
- Filippo de Pisis
- Carlo Socrate
- Achille Funi
- Giorgio Bassani
- Michelangelo Antonioni
- Lorenza Trucchi
- Federica Pirani
- Nello Quilici
- Italo Balbo
- Vieri Quilici
- Giovanni Buzzacchi
Institutions
- Biennale di Venezia
- Casa degli Artisti
- Quadriennale
- Rivista di Ferrara
- Castello Estense
- Palazzo dei Diamanti
- Palazzo Bellini
- Palazzo Massari
- Torre Civica
- Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna
- Archivio Mimì Quilici Buzzacchi
- Artribune
Locations
- Medole
- Italy
- Ferrara
- Milan
- Libya
- Tobruk
- Bergamo
- Rome
- Comacchio
- Monte Argentario
- Maratea
- Delta del Po
- Valli di Comacchio
- San Romano