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Umberto Boccioni (; ; 19 October 1882 – 17 August 1916) was an influential Italian painter and sculptor. He helped shape the revolutionary aesthetic of the
Futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...
movement as one of its principal figures. Despite his short life, his approach to the dynamism of form and the deconstruction of solid mass guided artists long after his death. His works are held by many public art museums, and in 1988 the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
in New York City organized a major retrospective of 100 pieces.


Biography

Umberto Boccioni was born on 19 October 1882 in
Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
. His father was a minor government employee, originally from the
Romagna Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally ...
region in the north, and his job included frequent reassignments throughout Italy. The family soon relocated further north, and Umberto and his older sister Amelia grew up in
Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...
(
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
),
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
and finally
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
. At the age of 15, in 1897, Umberto and his father moved to
Catania, Sicily Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
, where he would finish school. Some time after 1898, he moved to Rome and studied art at the
Scuola Libera del Nudo A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and postures, using any of the drawing media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a drawing. The degree of representation may range from highly detaile ...
of the
Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma The Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma is a public tertiary academy of art in Rome, Italy. It was founded in the sixteenth century, but the present institution dates from the time of the unification of Italy and the capture of Rome by the Kingdom ...
. He also studied under the
Liberty style Liberty style ( ) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ("floral style"), ("new art"), or ("modern style" not to be confused with the Spanish variant of Art Nouveau ...
poster artist Giovanni Mataloni. What little is known about his years in Rome is found in the autobiography of his friend
Gino Severini Gino Severini (7 April 1883 – 26 February 1966) was an Italian Painting, painter and a leading member of the Futurism (art), Futurist movement. For much of his life he divided his time between Paris and Rome. He was associated with neo-classici ...
(1883–1966), who recalled their meeting in 1901 and mutual interest in
Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...
, rebellion, life experiences and socialism. Boccioni's writings at this time already express the combination of outrage and irony that would become a lifelong characteristic. His critical and rebellious nature, and overall intellectual ability, would contribute substantially to the development of the
Futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...
movement. After building a foundation of skills, having studied the classics through Impressionism, both he and Severini became students of
Giacomo Balla Giacomo Balla (18 July 1871 – 1 March 1958) was an Italian painter, art teacher and poet best known as a key proponent of Futurism. In his paintings, he depicted light, movement and speed. He was concerned with expressing movement in his works ...
(1871–1958), a painter focusing on the modern
Divisionist Divisionism, also called chromoluminarism, is the characteristic style in Neo-Impressionist painting defined by the separation of colors into individual dots or patches that interact optically..Homer, William I. ''Seurat and the Science of Pain ...
technique, painting with divided rather than mixed color and breaking the painted surface into a field of stippled dots and stripes. Severini wrote "It was a great stroke of luck for us to meet such a man, whose direction was decisive of all our careers." In 1906, he briefly moved to Paris, where he studied
Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
and
Post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction a ...
styles, before visiting Russia for three months, getting a first-hand view of the civil unrest and governmental crackdowns. Returning to Italy in 1907, he briefly took drawing classes at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Venice. He had first visited the Famiglia Artistica, a society for artists in
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 ...
, in 1901. As he travelled from one city to the other, in parallel with his most ground-breaking artistic endeavours, he worked as a commercial illustrator. Between 1904 and 1909 he provided lithographs and gouache paintings to internationally renowned publishing houses, such as Berlin-based Stiefbold & Co. Boccioni's production in this field shows his awareness of contemporary European illustration, such as the work of
Cecil Aldin Cecil Charles Windsor Aldin (28 April 1870 – 6 January 1935), was a British artist and illustrator best known for his paintings and sketches of animals, sports, and rural life. Aldin executed village scenes and rural buildings in chalk, pencil ...
,
Harry Eliott Harry Eliott, born Charles Edmond Hermet (14 June 1882, in Paris – 29 May 1959, in Villez-sous-Bailleul), was a French painter and illustrator. Biography Eliott was the son of a lithographer. An Anglophile, he took up an English pseudonym at ...
, Henri Cassiers and Albert Beerts, and attests to his familiarity with contemporary trends in the visual arts in general. Boccioni moved to Milan in 1907. There, early in 1908, he met the Divisionist painter
Gaetano Previati Gaetano Previati (31 August 185221 June 1920) was an Italian Symbolist painter in the Divisionist style and art theorist. Biography Study and early works Gaetano Previati was born into a moderately prosperous family and completed his first ...
. In early 1910 he met
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye de ...
, who had already published his '' Manifesto del Futurismo'' ("Manifesto of Futurism") in the previous year. On 11 February 1910 Boccioni, with Balla,
Carlo Carrà Carlo Carrà (; February 11, 1881 – April 13, 1966) was an Italian painter and a leading figure of the Futurist movement that flourished in Italy during the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to his many paintings, he wrote a number ...
,
Luigi Russolo Luigi Carlo Filippo Russolo (30 April 1885 – 4 February 1947) was an Italian Futurist painter, composer, builder of experimental musical instruments, and the author of the manifesto '' The Art of Noises'' (1913). Russolo completed his second ...
and Severini, signed the ''Manifesto dei pittori futuristi'' ("Manifesto of Futurist painters"), and on 8 March he read the manifesto at the Politeama Chiarella theatre in Turin. Boccioni became the main theorist of the
Futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...
movement. "Only when Boccioni, Balla, Severini and a few other Futurists traveled to Paris toward the end of 1911 and saw what Braque and Picasso had been doing did the movement begin to take real shape." He also decided to be a sculptor after he visited various studios in Paris, in 1912, including those of
Georges Braque Georges Braque ( ; ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with ...
,
Alexander Archipenko Alexander Porfyrovych Archipenko (February 25, 1964) was a Ukrainian-American avant-garde artist, sculpture, sculptor, and graphic designer, graphic artist, active in France and the United States. He was one of the first to apply the principles o ...
,
Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism ...
,
Raymond Duchamp-Villon Raymond Duchamp-Villon (5 November 1876 – 9 October 1918) was a French sculptor. Life and art Duchamp-Villon was born Pierre-Maurice-Raymond Duchamp in Damville, Eure, in the Normandy region of France, the second son of Eugène and Lucie Duch ...
, August Agero and, probably,
Medardo Rosso Medardo Rosso (; 21 June 1858 – 31 March 1928) was an Italian sculptor. He is considered, like his contemporary and admirer Auguste Rodin, to have been an artist working in a post-Impressionist style. Biography and works Rosso was born in Tur ...
. In 1912 he exhibited some paintings together with other Italian futurists at the Galerie
Bernheim-Jeune Bernheim-Jeune gallery is one of the oldest art galleries in Paris. Opened on Rue Laffitte in 1863 by Alexandre Bernheim (1839-1915), friend of Delacroix, Corot and Courbet, it changed location a few times before settling on Avenue Matignon. ...
, and the following year returned to show his sculptures at the Galerie La Boétie: all related to the elaboration of what Boccioni had seen in Paris, where he had visited the studios of Cubist sculptors, including those of
Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism ...
,
Raymond Duchamp-Villon Raymond Duchamp-Villon (5 November 1876 – 9 October 1918) was a French sculptor. Life and art Duchamp-Villon was born Pierre-Maurice-Raymond Duchamp in Damville, Eure, in the Normandy region of France, the second son of Eugène and Lucie Duch ...
and
Alexander Archipenko Alexander Porfyrovych Archipenko (February 25, 1964) was a Ukrainian-American avant-garde artist, sculpture, sculptor, and graphic designer, graphic artist, active in France and the United States. He was one of the first to apply the principles o ...
to further his knowledge of avant-garde sculpture. In 1914 he published ''Pittura e scultura futuriste (dinamismo plastico)'' explaining the
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
of the group:
"While the impressionists paint a picture to give one particular moment and subordinate the life of the picture to its resemblance to this moment, we synthesize every moment (time, place, form, color-tone) and thus paint the picture."
He exhibited in London, together with the group, in 1912 ( Sackville Gallery) and 1914 (Doré Gallery): the two exhibitions made a deep impression on a number of young English artists, in particular C.R.W. Nevinson, who joined the movement. Others aligned themselves instead to its British equivalent,
Vorticism Vorticism was a London-based Modernism, modernist art movement formed in 1914 by the writer and artist Wyndham Lewis. The movement was partially inspired by Cubism and was introduced to the public by means of the publication of the Vorticist mani ...
, led by
Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited ''Blast (British magazine), Blast'', the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His ...
.
"Boccioni's gift was to bring a fresh eye to reality in ways that, we now recognise, defined the nature of the modern movement in the visual arts and literature, too." --Michael Glover (art critic, ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'')


Military service and death

Italian involvement in 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 ...
began late in May 1915 with Italy's declaration of war on the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. The "Lombard Battalion Volunteers Cyclists and Motorists", which Boccioni was part of, set off in early June from Milan to
Gallarate Gallarate (; Lombard language, Lombard: ''Galaraa'') is a city and ''comune'' of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people. It is the junction ...
, then on to
Peschiera del Garda Peschiera del Garda (; ; , ''Arilica'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Verona, in Veneto, Italy. When Lombardy-Venetia was under Austrian rule, Peschiera was the northwest anchor of the four fortified towns constituting the Quadrila ...
, in the rear of the
Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...
front. In July 1915, the volunteers were intended for a sector of the front around Ala and the Gardesana. On 24 October 1915, Boccioni participated in the battle of Dosso Casina. On 1 December 1915, the battalion was dissolved as part of a general reorganization; the volunteers were laid off temporarily, then each was called up along with the class. In May 1916 Boccioni was drafted into the
Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...
, and was assigned to an artillery regiment at Sorte of Chievo, near
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
. On 16 August 1916, he was thrown from his horse during a cavalry training exercise and was trampled. He died the following day, aged thirty-three, at Verona Military Hospital, and was buried in the Monumental Cemetery of that city. Cimitero monumentale di verona, tomba di umberto boccioni, 1916, 04.jpg, The tomb in Verona File:Headstone_Umberto_Boccioni_Chievo.jpg, A memorial where Boccioni was fatally injured in Sorte of Chievo


Works


Early portraits and landscapes

From 1902 to 1910, Boccioni focused initially on drawings, then sketched and painted portraits – with his mother as a frequent model. He also painted landscapes – often including the arrival of industrialization, trains and factories for example. During this period, he weaves between
Pointillism Pointillism (, ) is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism ...
and
Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
, and the influence of Giacomo Balla, and
Divisionism Divisionism, also called chromoluminarism, is the characteristic style in Neo-Impressionist painting defined by the separation of colors into individual dots or patches that interact optically..Homer, William I. ''Seurat and the Science of Pain ...
techniques are evident in early paintings (although later largely abandoned). ''The Morning'' (1909) was noted for "the bold and youthful violence of hues" and as "a daring exercise in luminosity." His 1909–10 ''Three Women'', which portrays his mother and sister, and longtime lover Ines at center, was cited as expressing great emotion – strength, melancholy and love.


Development of Futurism

Boccioni worked for nearly a year on ''La città sale'' or ''
The City Rises ''The City Rises'' (''La città che sale'') (1910) is an oil painting by the Italian painter, Umberto Boccioni. It was his first major Futurist work. Background The original title of the painting was ''Il lavoro'' (''Work''), as it appeared at t ...
'', 1910, a huge (2m by 3m) painting, which is considered his turning point into Futurism. "I attempted a great synthesis of labor, light and movement" he wrote to a friend. Upon its exhibition in
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 ...
in May 1911, the painting attracted numerous reviews, mostly admiring. By 1912 it had become a headline painting for the exhibition traveling Europe, the introduction to Futurism. It was sold to the great pianist,
Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...
for 4,000 lire that year, and today is frequently on prominent display at the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
in New York, at the entrance to the paintings department. ''La risata'' (1911, ''The Laugh'') is considered Boccioni's first truly Futurist work. He had fully parted with Divisionism, and now focused on the sensations derived from his observation of modern life. Its public reception was quite negative, compared unfavorably with '' Three Women'', and it was defaced by a visitor, running his fingers through the still fresh paint. Subsequent criticism became more positive, with some considering the painting a response to Cubism. It was purchased by Albert Borchardt, a German collector who acquired 20 Futurist works exhibited in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, including ''
The Street Enters the House ''The Street Enters the House'' (''La Strada Entra Nella Casa'') is a 1912 oil-on-canvas painting by Italian artist Umberto Boccioni. Painted in the Futurist style, the work centres on a woman on a balcony in front of a busy street, with the soun ...
'' (1911) which depicts a woman on a balcony overlooking a busy street. Today the former also is owned by the Museum of Modern Art, and the latter by the
Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake () approximately south of the state m ...
in
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
. Boccioni spent much of 1911 working on a trilogy of paintings titled "''Stati d'animo''" ("''States of Mind''"), which he said expressed departure and arrival at a railroad station – ''The Farewells'', ''Those Who Go'', and ''Those Who Stay''. All three paintings were originally purchased by Marinetti, until
Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...
acquired them from his widow and later donated them to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Beginning in 1912, with ''Elasticità'' or ''Elasticity'', depicting the pure energy of a horse, captured with intense chromaticism, he completed a series of Dynamist paintings: ''Dinamismo di un corpo umano'' (''Human Body''), ''
ciclista Club Ciclista Juninense is an Argentine sports club based in Junín, Buenos Aires. It was founded as a cycling club, but basketball has become the main sport of the club. The squad plays in the La Liga Argentina de Básquet . The La Liga Argenti ...
'' (''Cyclist''), ''Foot-baller'', and by 1914 ''Dinamismo plastico: cavallo + caseggiato'' (''Plastic Dynamism: Horse + Houses''). While continuing this focus, he revived his previous interest in portraiture. Beginning with ''L'antigrazioso'' (''The antigraceful'') in 1912 and continuing with ''I selciatori'' (''The Street Pavers'') and ''Il bevitore'' (''The Drinker'') both in 1914. In 1914 Boccioni published his book, ''Pittura, scultura futuriste'' (''Futurist Painting and Sculpture''), which caused a rift between himself and some of his Futurist comrades. As a result, perhaps, he abandoned his exploration of Dynamism, and instead sought further decomposition of a subject by means of colour. With ''Horizontal Volumes'' in 1915 and the ''Portrait of
Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...
'' in 1916, he completed a full return to figurative painting. Perhaps fittingly, this last painting was a portrait of the maestro who purchased his first Futurist work, ''
The City Rises ''The City Rises'' (''La città che sale'') (1910) is an oil painting by the Italian painter, Umberto Boccioni. It was his first major Futurist work. Background The original title of the painting was ''Il lavoro'' (''Work''), as it appeared at t ...
''. Between 1906 and 1915 his mother Cecilia Forlani appeared as a key figure in at least forty-five of his works, in various media.


Sculpture

The writing of his (''Technical manifesto of Futurist sculpture''), published on 11 April 1912, was Boccioni's intellectual and physical launch into sculpture; he had begun working in sculpture in the previous year. By the end of 1913 he had completed what is considered his masterpiece, ''Forme uniche della continuità nello spazio'' (''
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space ''Unique Forms of Continuity in Space'' () is a 1913 bronze Futurist sculpture by Umberto Boccioni. It is seen as an expression of movement and fluidity. The sculpture is depicted on the obverse of the Italian-issue 20 cent euro coin. History T ...
''), in wax. His goal for the work was to depict a "synthetic continuity" of motion, instead of an "analytical discontinuity" that he saw in such artists as
František Kupka František Kupka (23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957), also known as ''Frank Kupka'' or ''François Kupka,'' was a Czech painter and graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, eit ...
and
Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, ; ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, Futurism and conceptual art. He is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Pica ...
. During his life, the work only existed as a plaster cast. It was first cast in bronze in 1931. This sculpture has been the subject of extensive commentary, and in 1998 it was selected as the image to be engraved on the back of the Italian 20-cent euro coin. Soon after Boccioni's death in 1916 (and after a memorial exhibition was held in Milan), his family entrusted them temporarily to a fellow sculptor, Piero da Verona; da Verona then requested that his assistant place them in the local rubbish-dump. Marinetti's outraged account of the destruction of the sculptures was slightly different; in his memoirs, he stated that the sculptures were destroyed by workmen to clear the room the "envious passéist narrow-minded sculptor" had placed them.Quoted by the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art (@Estorick) on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, 20 December 2019
FT Marinetti recalled the destruction of Boccioni's sculptures in his memoirs: "Absurdly entrusted to an envious passéist narrow-minded sculptor they were ripped apart by the workmen anxious to clear out a profitable part of the building and all is ended"
Accessed 3 January 2020.
Thus, much of his experimental work from late 1912 to 1913 was destroyed, including pieces relating to contemporaneous paintings, which are known only through photographs. One of the few surviving pieces is the '' Antigrazioso'' (''Anti-Graceful'', also called ''The Mother''). In 2019, the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art held an exhibition reconstructing several of the destroyed sculptures.


Publications

*Article –
Manifesto dei pittori futuristi
', 1910 (Manifesto of Futurist Painters) *Article – ''Manifesto of Futurist Sculpture'', April 1912 *Article – ''The Plastic Foundation of Futurist Sculpture and Painting'', in Lacerba, March 1913 issue *Article – ''Esposizione di scultura futurista del pittore e scultore futurista'', 1913 *Article – ''Manifesto tecnico della scultura futurista'', 1914 *Book – ''Pittura, scultura futuriste'' (Futurist painting and sculpture), 1914


Exhibitions

* Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, 2019 – Umberto Boccioni: Recreating the Lost Sculptures * Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, 2009 – Centenary of Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto, with 20 works *
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th Street (Manhattan), 89th Streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It hosts a permanent coll ...
, 2004 – Exhibition centered on ''Materia'', with 23 other works. *
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, New York, 1988 – Major Retrospective :Retrospective catalogue: ''Umberto Boccioni'', by Ester Coen, 272pp, 1988 *
Castelvecchio Museum Castelvecchio Museum (Italian: Museo Civico di Castelvecchio) is a museum in Verona, northern Italy, located in the eponymous medieval castle. Restoration by the architect Carlo Scarpa between 1959 and 1973 has enhanced the appearance of the ...
Verona, 1985–1986 &
Pinacoteca di Brera The Pinacoteca di Brera ("Brera Art Gallery") is the main public gallery for paintings in Milan, Italy. It contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings from the 13th to the 20th century, an outgrowth of the cultural program of ...
Milan, 1986 & San Stae Venice, 1986 – ''Boccioni a Venezia'' * Palazzo Reale di Milano, 1982–1983 & Kunstmuseum, Hanover, 1983 – ''Boccioni a Milano'' * Palazzo Reale di Milano, 1973–1974 – ''Boccioni e il suo tempo''


Gallery

File:Umberto-Boccioni.jpg, Umberto Boccioni self-portrait (1905) File:'States of Mind III; Those Who Stay', oil on canvas painting by Umberto Boccioni, 1911.jpg, ''States of Mind III; Those Who Stay'', 1911,
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
, New York File:Modern Idol by Umberto Boccioni, 1911 Estorick Collection.jpeg, ''Modern Idol'', 1911, Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art,
Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...
, London File:Umberto Boccioni, 1911, The Street Enters the House, oil on canvas, 100 x 100.6 cm, Sprengel Museum.jpg, ''
The Street Enters the House ''The Street Enters the House'' (''La Strada Entra Nella Casa'') is a 1912 oil-on-canvas painting by Italian artist Umberto Boccioni. Painted in the Futurist style, the work centres on a woman on a balcony in front of a busy street, with the soun ...
'', 1911, Sprengel-Museum,
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
File:Umberto Boccioni, 1912, Head + House + Light, sculpture destroyed.jpg, ''Head + House + Light'', 1912, sculpture destroyed File:Umberto Boccioni, Visioni simultanee (Simultanvisionen), oil on canvas, 60.5 × 60.5 cm, Von der Heydt Museum.jpg, ''Visioni simultanee'', 1912, Von Der Heydt Museum,
Wuppertal Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...
File:L'antigrazioso by Umberto Boccioni, 1912.jpeg, ''L'antigrazioso'', 1912, private collection File:Dynamism of a Man's Head by Umberto Boccioni, 1913.jpeg, ''Dynamism of a Man's Head'', 1913, private collection File:WLA moma Umberto Boccioni Dynamism of a Soccer Player 1913.jpg, '' Dynamism of a Soccer Player'',
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
, New York File:'Development of a Bottle in Space', bronze sculpture by Umberto Boccioni, 1913, Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg, ''
Development of a Bottle in Space ''Development of a Bottle in Space'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Sviluppo di una bottiglia nello spazio'') is a bronze futurist sculpture by Umberto Boccioni. Initially a sketch in Boccioni’s "Technical Manifesto of Futurist Sculpture"," the d ...
'', 1913,
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
File:Umberto Boccioni - Charge of the Lancers.jpg, ''Charge of the Lancers'', 1915, Collection of Riccardo and Magda Jucker,
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 ...
File:GUGG Dynamism of a Speeding Horse + Houses.jpg, '' Dynamism of a Speeding Horse + Houses (Dinamismo di un cavallo in corsa + case)'', 1915 File:Horizontal Volumes by Umberto Boccioni, 1912.jpg, ''Horizontal Volumes'', 1915,
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th Street (Manhattan), 89th Streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It hosts a permanent coll ...


References


Further reading

* Giovanni Lista, ''Futurisme : manifestes, documents, proclamations'', L'Age d'Homme, coll. "Avant-gardes", Lausanne, 1973. * Umberto Boccioni, ''Dynamisme plastique'', textes réunis, annotés et préfacés par Giovanni Lista, traduction de Claude Minot et Giovanni Lista, L'Age d'Homme, coll. "Avant-gardes", Lausanne, 1975. * Giovanni Lista, "De la chromogonie de Boccioni à l'art spatial de Fontana", in ''Ligeia, dossiers sur l'art'', n° 77-78-79-80, juillet-décembre 2007, Paris. * Giovanni Lista, ''Le Futurisme : création et avant-garde'', Éditions L'Amateur, Paris, 2001. * Danih Meo, ''Della memoria di Umberto Boccioni'', Mimesis, Milano 2007. * Gino Zaccaria, ''The Enigma of Art. On the Provenance of Artistic Creation'', Brill, Leiden-Boston 2021.


External links

* Umberto Boccioni papers, 1899–1986.
Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".
, Research Library. Los Angeles, California. * – Exhibition catalog (15 September 1988, to 8 January 1989)
Umberto Boccion Foundation
official web site in italian language
Umberto Boccioni Dinamismi futuristi
a short documentary, in Italian language by art critic and curator dr
Alain Chivilò Alain Chivilò or Chivilo in art and culture is an Italian contemporary curator, critic, journalist and writer based in Italy with collaborations outside his home country. University education in two different fields, economics and art history, bec ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boccioni, Umberto Italian Futurist painters Futurist sculptors 1882 births 1916 deaths Divisionist painters Italian male painters Italian male sculptors Italian military personnel killed in World War I Deaths by horse-riding accident in Italy People from Reggio Calabria 20th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian sculptors 20th-century Italian male artists