Adolfo Ferdinando Giuseppe Wildt was an Italian sculptor, draughtsman, medallist, and member of the Accademia d'Italia. He is considered by many art history scholars as an artist of great stature and is known for his modernist marble sculptures. He was the father of Italian sculptor and artist Francesco Wildt, the father-in-law of Italian publisher and artist Giovanni Scheiwiller, and the grandfather of Italian publisher and editor Vanni Scheiwiller.
Wildt was born on March 1, 1868 in Milan, Italy to a Milanese family with Swiss origins. He was the son of Adamo Wildt and Teresa Villa and the eldest of their six children. At the age of nine he became an apprentice to a barber and then an apprentice to a goldsmith. At the age of eleven he began a workshop with the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi, who introduced Wildt to sculpting with marble. By the time he was eighteen years old, Wildt was already forming connections with other well known sculptors, including Butti, Alberti and Ripamonti. After preparing for and passing the Anatomy examination on his own, he attended the Scuola Superiore d'Arte Applicata in Milan from 1885-1886 and studied Drawing and Figures.
Wildt married Ernesta Dina Borghi (1871-1931), the daughter of Carlo Borghi, on February 4, 1892 in Milan. They had four children together: Artemia, Francesco, Anna, and Alma.
In 1892, Wildt finished La Vedova, a portrait of his wife, which was exhibited in 1894 at the Società d'Arte Moderna in Rome and immediately purchased by the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome. He then met Franz Rose, a German art collector, with whom he contracted with for eighteen years. This arrangement gave Adolfo economic security while enabling Franz Rose to secure for himself the first copy of each of Wildt's sculptures. In exchange, Wildt earned an annual salary of four thousand lire.
During the early years of the 20th century, Wildt participated in several exhibitions throughout Milan, Munich, Zurich, Berlin, and Dresden. In 1900 he began twelve years of work on a monumental fountain with three figures, to be placed in the new wing of the Dolhaü palace that Huber-Feldkirch was designing for Franz Rose.
From 1906 to 1909, Adolfo suffered through a crisis of art and conscience that ended with the execution of one of his most famous and recognizable sculptures, the Mask of Pain. This marked the opening of the most violently expressionistic phase of his art. During this time he destroyed or mutilated several of his works.
In 1912, Wildt exhibited with the work Il Santo, Il Giovane e la Saggezza (commonly referred to as The Trilogy) at the Triennale di Brera. The work won the Principe Umberto award, the first awarded recognition obtained by Wildt in Italy. This success lead to many years of successful exhibitions and commissions. In 1921, Wildt founded his Marble School in Milan and authored a book, The Art of Marble, which was published by Italian publishing house Hoepli. In 1926, he was on the committee of the Il Mostra del Novecento Italiano and was awarded the commendation of the Crown of Italy, followed by the incorporation of his Marble School into a course at the Brera Academy. The very same year he exhibited a colossal bust of Pope Pius XI at the Venice Biennale.
However, it was Wildt's busts of fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini that earned him his legacy. He made several copies in different materials of busts depicting Mussolini. The first of which, in plaster, was exhibited on October 28, 1923, the first anniversary of the March on Rome. Wildt's famous bust of Benito Mussolini adorned the Casa del Fascio in Milan. The destruction of the bust with a pickaxe in April 1945 remains one of the most iconic images symbolizing of the end of fascism. Wildt's 1923 variant of the bust is preserved in the Civic Museums of Art and History of Brescia and the 1924 variant is preserved in the The Galleria d'Arte Moderna Milan. This last sculpture differs from the others in that it is not a bust, but a mask made of Carrara marble.
Wildt died on March 12, 1931 at his home on Via Pasquale Sottocorno in Milan after becoming afflicted with bronchopneumonia during a stay in Pavia. He was entombed at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano in a simple monument designed by Giovanni Muzio. The monument is composed of two T-shaped steel courtyards; the left steel features a bronze copy of Wildt's Mask of Pain (1909); the right steel features a bronze mask of Wildt's wife, Dina Borghi. At the base is the engraving, "Fedele io qui lo attesi" or "faithfully I waited here". Both masks, which were original works by Wildt, were replicated via fusion by his son Francesco.
Wildt was born on March 1, 1868 in Milan, Italy to a Milanese family with Swiss origins. He was the son of Adamo Wildt and Teresa Villa and the eldest of their six children. At the age of nine he became an apprentice to a barber and then an apprentice to a goldsmith. At the age of eleven he began a workshop with the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi, who introduced Wildt to sculpting with marble. By the time he was eighteen years old, Wildt was already forming connections with other well known sculptors, including Butti, Alberti and Ripamonti. After preparing for and passing the Anatomy examination on his own, he attended the Scuola Superiore d'Arte Applicata in Milan from 1885-1886 and studied Drawing and Figures.
Wildt married Ernesta Dina Borghi (1871-1931), the daughter of Carlo Borghi, on February 4, 1892 in Milan. They had four children together: Artemia, Francesco, Anna, and Alma.
In 1892, Wildt finished La Vedova, a portrait of his wife, which was exhibited in 1894 at the Società d'Arte Moderna in Rome and immediately purchased by the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome. He then met Franz Rose, a German art collector, with whom he contracted with for eighteen years. This arrangement gave Adolfo economic security while enabling Franz Rose to secure for himself the first copy of each of Wildt's sculptures. In exchange, Wildt earned an annual salary of four thousand lire.
During the early years of the 20th century, Wildt participated in several exhibitions throughout Milan, Munich, Zurich, Berlin, and Dresden. In 1900 he began twelve years of work on a monumental fountain with three figures, to be placed in the new wing of the Dolhaü palace that Huber-Feldkirch was designing for Franz Rose.
From 1906 to 1909, Adolfo suffered through a crisis of art and conscience that ended with the execution of one of his most famous and recognizable sculptures, the Mask of Pain. This marked the opening of the most violently expressionistic phase of his art. During this time he destroyed or mutilated several of his works.
In 1912, Wildt exhibited with the work Il Santo, Il Giovane e la Saggezza (commonly referred to as The Trilogy) at the Triennale di Brera. The work won the Principe Umberto award, the first awarded recognition obtained by Wildt in Italy. This success lead to many years of successful exhibitions and commissions. In 1921, Wildt founded his Marble School in Milan and authored a book, The Art of Marble, which was published by Italian publishing house Hoepli. In 1926, he was on the committee of the Il Mostra del Novecento Italiano and was awarded the commendation of the Crown of Italy, followed by the incorporation of his Marble School into a course at the Brera Academy. The very same year he exhibited a colossal bust of Pope Pius XI at the Venice Biennale.
However, it was Wildt's busts of fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini that earned him his legacy. He made several copies in different materials of busts depicting Mussolini. The first of which, in plaster, was exhibited on October 28, 1923, the first anniversary of the March on Rome. Wildt's famous bust of Benito Mussolini adorned the Casa del Fascio in Milan. The destruction of the bust with a pickaxe in April 1945 remains one of the most iconic images symbolizing of the end of fascism. Wildt's 1923 variant of the bust is preserved in the Civic Museums of Art and History of Brescia and the 1924 variant is preserved in the The Galleria d'Arte Moderna Milan. This last sculpture differs from the others in that it is not a bust, but a mask made of Carrara marble.
Wildt died on March 12, 1931 at his home on Via Pasquale Sottocorno in Milan after becoming afflicted with bronchopneumonia during a stay in Pavia. He was entombed at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano in a simple monument designed by Giovanni Muzio. The monument is composed of two T-shaped steel courtyards; the left steel features a bronze copy of Wildt's Mask of Pain (1909); the right steel features a bronze mask of Wildt's wife, Dina Borghi. At the base is the engraving, "Fedele io qui lo attesi" or "faithfully I waited here". Both masks, which were original works by Wildt, were replicated via fusion by his son Francesco.
Adolfo Ferdinando Giuseppe Wildt was an Italian sculptor, draughtsman, medallist, and member of the Accademia d'Italia. He is considered by many art history scholars as an artist of great stature and is known for his modernist marble sculptures. He was the father of Italian sculptor and artist Francesco Wildt, the father-in-law of Italian publisher and artist Giovanni Scheiwiller, and the grandfather of Italian publisher and editor Vanni Scheiwiller.
Wildt was born on March 1, 1868 in Milan, Italy to a Milanese family with Swiss origins. He was the son of Adamo Wildt and Teresa Villa and the eldest of their six children. At the age of nine he became an apprentice to a barber and then an apprentice to a goldsmith. At the age of eleven he began a workshop with the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi, who introduced Wildt to sculpting with marble. By the time he was eighteen years old, Wildt was already forming connections with other well known sculptors, including Butti, Alberti and Ripamonti. After preparing for and passing the Anatomy examination on his own, he attended the Scuola Superiore d'Arte Applicata in Milan from 1885-1886 and studied Drawing and Figures.
Wildt married Ernesta Dina Borghi (1871-1931), the daughter of Carlo Borghi, on February 4, 1892 in Milan. They had four children together: Artemia, Francesco, Anna, and Alma.
In 1892, Wildt finished La Vedova, a portrait of his wife, which was exhibited in 1894 at the Società d'Arte Moderna in Rome and immediately purchased by the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome. He then met Franz Rose, a German art collector, with whom he contracted with for eighteen years. This arrangement gave Adolfo economic security while enabling Franz Rose to secure for himself the first copy of each of Wildt's sculptures. In exchange, Wildt earned an annual salary of four thousand lire.
During the early years of the 20th century, Wildt participated in several exhibitions throughout Milan, Munich, Zurich, Berlin, and Dresden. In 1900 he began twelve years of work on a monumental fountain with three figures, to be placed in the new wing of the Dolhaü palace that Huber-Feldkirch was designing for Franz Rose.
From 1906 to 1909, Adolfo suffered through a crisis of art and conscience that ended with the execution of one of his most famous and recognizable sculptures, the Mask of Pain. This marked the opening of the most violently expressionistic phase of his art. During this time he destroyed or mutilated several of his works.
In 1912, Wildt exhibited with the work Il Santo, Il Giovane e la Saggezza (commonly referred to as The Trilogy) at the Triennale di Brera. The work won the Principe Umberto award, the first awarded recognition obtained by Wildt in Italy. This success lead to many years of successful exhibitions and commissions. In 1921, Wildt founded his Marble School in Milan and authored a book, The Art of Marble, which was published by Italian publishing house Hoepli. In 1926, he was on the committee of the Il Mostra del Novecento Italiano and was awarded the commendation of the Crown of Italy, followed by the incorporation of his Marble School into a course at the Brera Academy. The very same year he exhibited a colossal bust of Pope Pius XI at the Venice Biennale.
However, it was Wildt's busts of fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini that earned him his legacy. He made several copies in different materials of busts depicting Mussolini. The first of which, in plaster, was exhibited on October 28, 1923, the first anniversary of the March on Rome. Wildt's famous bust of Benito Mussolini adorned the Casa del Fascio in Milan. The destruction of the bust with a pickaxe in April 1945 remains one of the most iconic images symbolizing of the end of fascism. Wildt's 1923 variant of the bust is preserved in the Civic Museums of Art and History of Brescia and the 1924 variant is preserved in the The Galleria d'Arte Moderna Milan. This last sculpture differs from the others in that it is not a bust, but a mask made of Carrara marble.
Wildt died on March 12, 1931 at his home on Via Pasquale Sottocorno in Milan after becoming afflicted with bronchopneumonia during a stay in Pavia. He was entombed at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano in a simple monument designed by Giovanni Muzio. The monument is composed of two T-shaped steel courtyards; the left steel features a bronze copy of Wildt's Mask of Pain (1909); the right steel features a bronze mask of Wildt's wife, Dina Borghi. At the base is the engraving, "Fedele io qui lo attesi" or "faithfully I waited here". Both masks, which were original works by Wildt, were replicated via fusion by his son Francesco.
Wildt was born on March 1, 1868 in Milan, Italy to a Milanese family with Swiss origins. He was the son of Adamo Wildt and Teresa Villa and the eldest of their six children. At the age of nine he became an apprentice to a barber and then an apprentice to a goldsmith. At the age of eleven he began a workshop with the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi, who introduced Wildt to sculpting with marble. By the time he was eighteen years old, Wildt was already forming connections with other well known sculptors, including Butti, Alberti and Ripamonti. After preparing for and passing the Anatomy examination on his own, he attended the Scuola Superiore d'Arte Applicata in Milan from 1885-1886 and studied Drawing and Figures.
Wildt married Ernesta Dina Borghi (1871-1931), the daughter of Carlo Borghi, on February 4, 1892 in Milan. They had four children together: Artemia, Francesco, Anna, and Alma.
In 1892, Wildt finished La Vedova, a portrait of his wife, which was exhibited in 1894 at the Società d'Arte Moderna in Rome and immediately purchased by the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome. He then met Franz Rose, a German art collector, with whom he contracted with for eighteen years. This arrangement gave Adolfo economic security while enabling Franz Rose to secure for himself the first copy of each of Wildt's sculptures. In exchange, Wildt earned an annual salary of four thousand lire.
During the early years of the 20th century, Wildt participated in several exhibitions throughout Milan, Munich, Zurich, Berlin, and Dresden. In 1900 he began twelve years of work on a monumental fountain with three figures, to be placed in the new wing of the Dolhaü palace that Huber-Feldkirch was designing for Franz Rose.
From 1906 to 1909, Adolfo suffered through a crisis of art and conscience that ended with the execution of one of his most famous and recognizable sculptures, the Mask of Pain. This marked the opening of the most violently expressionistic phase of his art. During this time he destroyed or mutilated several of his works.
In 1912, Wildt exhibited with the work Il Santo, Il Giovane e la Saggezza (commonly referred to as The Trilogy) at the Triennale di Brera. The work won the Principe Umberto award, the first awarded recognition obtained by Wildt in Italy. This success lead to many years of successful exhibitions and commissions. In 1921, Wildt founded his Marble School in Milan and authored a book, The Art of Marble, which was published by Italian publishing house Hoepli. In 1926, he was on the committee of the Il Mostra del Novecento Italiano and was awarded the commendation of the Crown of Italy, followed by the incorporation of his Marble School into a course at the Brera Academy. The very same year he exhibited a colossal bust of Pope Pius XI at the Venice Biennale.
However, it was Wildt's busts of fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini that earned him his legacy. He made several copies in different materials of busts depicting Mussolini. The first of which, in plaster, was exhibited on October 28, 1923, the first anniversary of the March on Rome. Wildt's famous bust of Benito Mussolini adorned the Casa del Fascio in Milan. The destruction of the bust with a pickaxe in April 1945 remains one of the most iconic images symbolizing of the end of fascism. Wildt's 1923 variant of the bust is preserved in the Civic Museums of Art and History of Brescia and the 1924 variant is preserved in the The Galleria d'Arte Moderna Milan. This last sculpture differs from the others in that it is not a bust, but a mask made of Carrara marble.
Wildt died on March 12, 1931 at his home on Via Pasquale Sottocorno in Milan after becoming afflicted with bronchopneumonia during a stay in Pavia. He was entombed at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano in a simple monument designed by Giovanni Muzio. The monument is composed of two T-shaped steel courtyards; the left steel features a bronze copy of Wildt's Mask of Pain (1909); the right steel features a bronze mask of Wildt's wife, Dina Borghi. At the base is the engraving, "Fedele io qui lo attesi" or "faithfully I waited here". Both masks, which were original works by Wildt, were replicated via fusion by his son Francesco.
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MDCCCLXVII - MCMXXXI. Illuminatva amore mio faticoso cammino.
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