Ettore Modigliani (Rome, 20 December 1873 – Milan, 22 June 1947) was an Italian museum director and art historian.

Career

Modigliani was the director of the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan from 1908 to 1934. During this period, he focused on the Venetian school. He purchased a painting by Canaletto and other Venetian artists for the gallery. In 1910, he was appointed as the superintendent of the galleries, museums, and medieval and modern collections of art in Milan. In 1925, he was appointed as the superintendent of all monuments in the

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

region. In 1926, he was appointed director of the

Certosa di Pavia The Certosa di Pavia is a monastery and complex in Lombardy, Northern Italy, situated near a small town of the same name in the Province of Pavia, north of Pavia. Built in 1396–1495, it was once located on the border of a large hunting ...

. In 1930, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his role in producing "Italian Art 1200-1900", a pivotal exhibition of Italian art at

Burlington House Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Toda ...

in London. Modigliani never joined the

Italian Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...

. He was of Jewish heritage and in 1939, following

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

's implementation of Italian racial laws, was dismissed from his job. In 1935 art critic and Pinacoteca di Brera Director Fernanda Wittgens, who was one of Modigliani's proteges, agreed to sign Modigliani's book ''Mentore: Guida allo studio dell'arte italiana'' in order to enable its publication. The book was published by

Hoepli Hoepli Editore is an Italian publishing house and bookstore based in Milan founded in 1870 by Swiss bookseller Ulrico Hoepli. Born in 1847 in the village of Tuttwil (now part of Wängi, Canton Thurgau), at the age of 23 Hoepli moved to Milan to ...

. At the outbreak of World War II, Modigliani found shelter in the countryside of central Italy, where he hid with his family to avoid concentration camps. In 1946 he was restored director of Pinacoteca di Brera. In this capacity, he dealt with the reconstruction of the parts of the building that had been destroyed by bombings. Only a small portion of the original gallery, along with some exhibits of the Braidense collection, survived. He contacted the architect

Piero Portaluppi Piero Portaluppi (19 March 1888 – 6 July 1967) was an Italian architect. Biography Pietro (known as Piero) Portaluppi was born in Milan, son of the engineer Luisa Gadda e Oreste Portaluppi. He graduated in 1905 from the Istituto Tecnic ...

, with whom he had worked in the 1920s, for the restructuration of the gallery, which re-opened in September 1946.

Works

* ''La Pinacoteca di Brera'', Treves, Milan, 1913 * ''Mentore: Guida allo studio dell'arte italiana'',

, Milan, 1946 * ''Catalogo della Regia Pinacoteca di Brera'',

Rizzoli Rizzoli is an Italian surname. People *Achilles Rizzoli (1896–1981), an American artist *Angelo Rizzoli (1889–1970), an Italian publisher ** RCS MediaGroup, formerly "A. Rizzoli & C." and "Rizzoli Editore", a publishing company founded by Angel ...

, Milan, 1935 * ''Memorie'',

Skira The festival of the Skira ( grc, Σκίρα) or Skirophoria ( grc, Σκιροφόρια) in the calendar of ancient Athens, closely associated with the Thesmophoria, marked the dissolution of the old year in May/June. Description At Athens, t ...

, Milan, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Modigliani, Ettore 1873 births 1947 deaths Curators from Rome 20th-century Italian Jews Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Italian art curators 19th-century Italian Jews Directors of museums in Italy Italian art historians