Giorgio de Chirico

Italian artist (1888-1978) · Italy · Artists · Died at 90

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He painted empty piazzas where the light falls wrong and faceless mannequins wait under arcades that obey no rational geometry - then spent the second half of his career dismissing the modernity he'd helped invent.

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A life in dates

1978Died20 November 19781976Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyAward1963“To become truly immortal a work of art must escape all human limits: logic and common sense will only interfere.”In their wordsas quoted in Letters of the great artists - from Ghiberti to Gainsborough, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p . 231Read the whole statement

“What I hear is valueless; only what I see is living, and when I close my eyes my vision is even more powerful.”In their wordsas quoted in Letters of the great artists - from Ghiberti to Gainsborough, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p . 232Read the whole statement

“I remember one vivid winter’s day at Versailles. Silence and calm reigned supreme,. Everything gazed at me with mysterious, questioning eyes.”In their wordsas quoted in Letters of the great artists - from Ghiberti to Gainsborough, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p. 232Read the whole statement

1961Civil Order of SavoyAward1957Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian RepublicAward1919“..the flat surface of a perfectly calm ocean [which] disturbs us.. ..by all the unknown that is hidden in the depth.”In their wordsMay 1919Quote of De Chirico, April/May 1919; as quoted in 'Giorgio de Chirico', MoMa onlineRead the whole statement

1911“You misunderstood my words when I said that Michelangelo was a stupid artist..”In their words5 January 1911Quote from De Chirico's letter to Mr. Fritz Gartz, Florence, undated, c. 5 Jan. 1911; from LETTERS BY GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, GEMMA DE CHIRICORead the whole statement

1909“I took a trip to Florence and Rome in October and in the spring I will probably go to Florence to live as it is the city I like the most.”In their words27 December 1909Quote from De Chirico's letter to Mr. Fritz Gartz, 27 Dec. 1909; from LETTERS BY GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, GEMMA DE CHIRICO AND ALBERTO DERead the whole statement

1888Born10 July 1888

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Giorgio de Chirico (portrait)

'Autumnal Meditation' (1958-1959) by Giorgio de Chirico - Museo Soumaya - Mexico 2024 (2)

'Horse and Zebra' (1929) by Giorgio de Chirico - Museo Soumaya - Mexico 2024

'Le Rive della Tessaglia' (1927) by Giorgio de Chirico - Museo Soumaya - Mexico 2024

Portrait of Giorgio De Chirico LCCN2004662699

Portrait of Giorgio De Chirico LCCN2004662700

Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Italia, 1970) - BEIC 6361525

Giorgio De Chirico 1971 Milano, mostra personale di scultura

In their own words 10

Giorgio de Chirico

10 statements, newest first

To become truly immortal a work of art must escape all human limits: logic and common sense will only interfere.
1963, as quoted in Letters of the great artists - from Ghiberti to Gainsborough, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p . 231, Own words
Profound statements must be drawn by the artist from the most secret recesses of his being; there no murmuring torrent, no birdsong, no rustle of leaves can distract him.
1963, as quoted in Letters of the great artists - from Ghiberti to Gainsborough, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p . 232, Own words
What I hear is valueless; only what I see is living, and when I close my eyes my vision is even more powerful.
1963, as quoted in Letters of the great artists - from Ghiberti to Gainsborough, Richard Friedenthal, Thames and Hudson, London, 1963, p . 232, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany1976

Civil Order of Savoy1961

Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic1957

Knight of the Legion of Honour

Family

Father Evaristo de Chirico

Giorgio de Chirico

Partners

Spouse Raissa Calza

Sibling Alberto Savinio

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About this person

Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico was born in Volos, Greece, on 10 July 1888, to a Greek-Italian family. In the years before World War I, he founded the scuola metafisica art movement, filling canvases with Roman arcades, long shadows, mannequins, and trains arranged in illogical perspective - imagery steeped in the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche and the mythology of his birthplace. The work profoundly influenced the surrealists. After 1919, de Chirico turned against modern art, studied traditional techniques, and worked in neoclassical or neo-Baroque modes, though he kept circling back to the metaphysical themes that had made his name. He died on 20 November 1978.

Country

Italy

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