Arturo Checchi (1886 – 24 December 1971) was an Italian artist active in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. His paintings and sculptures are in an

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

style.

Biography

He was born in Fucecchio. In 1898, he began the study of drawing with a private tutor. In 1902 he enrolled for three years at the Academy of Fine Arts in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, studying under Alfonso De Carolis. After completing studies, he settled in Florence, working as a decorative painter until the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

led him to return to Fucecchio. Checchi exhibited at the Florentine ''Promotrice'' of 1911, 1913, and 1914, and at the ''Secessione Romana'' of 1914 and 1915. Works from the latter are now part of the collections of the Galleries of Modern Art at Florence and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In 1916 he had two personal shows at the

Forte dei Marmi Forte dei Marmi () is an Italian sea town and ''comune'' located in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany, overlooking the Ligurian Sea. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi's citizens. The population of the town, amounting to ...

and at the Kursaal in

Viareggio Viareggio () is a city and ''comune'' in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. With a population of over 62,000, it is the second largest city in the province of Lucca, after Lucca. It is known as a seaside resort as well a ...

. In 1918 he participated in the exhibition Ars Florentina, and in the 1920 and 1922 ''Promotrice'' of Florence. In 1920, he held an exhibition in Florence. In 1921 he presented three etchings at the Rome Biennale. In 1922 he exhibited at the "Quadrennial of Turin" and Fiorentina spring. In 1924 he was honored at the S. Ussi shows for the framework for Le Marie. In 1925, he moved to

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

to teach at the Academy of Fine Arts. Arturo Checchi was present in 1927 at the exhibition of the Black and White of New York. He exhibited in the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

for the first time in 1928, and again in 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1940 with etchings, drawings and paintings. In 1939, he taught figure drawing at the Academy of Brera and 1942 back to Academy of Florence as a lecturer until 1961. After the war he continued to exhibit in Rome and Florence.

Public works

Since 1975, two sculptures of his are exhibited at

Vallombrosa Vallombrosa is a toponym which indicates both a forest and a ''frazione'', located within this forest, in the territory of the Reggello, Commune of Reggello, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. The villag ...

: ''The siren'' (1932) and ''Girls in the sun'' (1935). In the foyer of the Teatro Morley of

are displayed his works "violin" and "guitar". His works are also displayed at the Gallery of Modern Art in Turin and

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, the Gallery of Modern Art in Prints and Drawings of the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

and Rome, in national libraries in Florence and Paris, at the Ministry of Education and the Chamber of Commerce of Florence.

Awards and honors

* 1927 Gold Medal at the International Graphic

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

. * 1970 he was awarded the gold medal by the International Centre for culture and the arts in Montenero.

References

Bibliography

* "The dishes broken by Arturo Checchi" by Piero Bargellini, New Editions Henry Vallecchi. * "Arturo Checchi, the cards, the works and the life" by Federica De Paolis and Walter Scancarello, Bibliography and Information Publisher, Pontedera, 2013

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Checchi, Arturo 1886 births 1971 deaths People from Fucecchio 20th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Tuscany Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze alumni Academic staff of Brera Academy 20th-century Italian male artists