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Eugenio Santoro (27 August 1920 – 13 May 2006), was an Italian-born Swiss
Three years later, Born introduced him to Michel Thévoz, curator of the
Biography of Eugenio Santoro
1920 births 2006 deaths People from Castelmezzano Italian expatriates in Switzerland 20th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 21st-century Italian painters Outsider artists 20th-century Italian sculptors 20th-century Italian male artists 21st-century Italian male artists {{Italy-sculptor-stub
outsider art
Outsider art is Fine art, art made by Autodidacticism, self-taught individuals who are untrained and untutored in the traditional arts with typically little or no contact with the Convention (norm), conventions of the art worlds.
The term ''ou ...
ist.
Biography
Born in Castelmezzano, in theprovince of Potenza
The province of Potenza (; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
Geography
It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There are 100 ''comuni'' (singular: ''com ...
(Basilicata
Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...
), he started working as a carpenter but had to quit his job to go to the front during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He fought in Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
and Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, but got arrested and deported to Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, where he was sentenced to hard labor in the Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
for two years.
Santoro was released in 1944 and returned to his native town, where he worked as a municipal employee and then as an owner of a small woodworking shop. In 1964, due to financial difficulties, he moved to Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
with his wife, finding employment as a laborer at the chocolate factory " Camille Bloch" in Courtelary.
His passion for art began in 1979, with a painting of the factory; then he came to sculpture. His works are mostly wooden sculptures depicting human and animal figures. His works include ''Mary Magdalene'' (1984) and ''The Egyptienne'' (1989). The first exhibition of his sculptures was held in 1986 at the "Espace Noir" of Saint-Imier, chaired by Maurice Born.
Three years later, Born introduced him to Michel Thévoz, curator of the Collection de l'art brut
Collection or Collections may refer to:
Computing
* Collection (abstract data type), the abstract concept of collections in computer science
* Collection (linking), the act of linkage editing in computing
* Garbage collection (computing), autom ...
in Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
, who organized a permanent exhibition of his works. In 2004, a second exhibition was organized in the same place. Santoro died at Courtelary in 2006.
Bibliography
*Lucienne Peiry, ''Art brut: the origins of outsider art'', Flammarion, 2001 *Michel Thévoz, ''Collection de l'art brut, Lausanne'', Institut suisse pour l'étude de l'art, 2001See also
* List of Outsider artistsExternal links
Biography of Eugenio Santoro
1920 births 2006 deaths People from Castelmezzano Italian expatriates in Switzerland 20th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 21st-century Italian painters Outsider artists 20th-century Italian sculptors 20th-century Italian male artists 21st-century Italian male artists {{Italy-sculptor-stub