Mario Tozzi (1895-1979)

Artist: Mario Tozzi (1895-1979)

WHO WE ARE SERVICES EVENTS CATALOG Mario Tozzi was born on 30 October 1895 in Fossombrone near Urbino. He lived his childhood in Suna, a small village on Lake Como and already as a child he drew everywhere. His doctor father directs him towards the study of chemistry, which he soon leaves to devote himself to painting and which will remain the passion of his life. In 1913 he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna and met Licini, Sepo and Morandi and they became fellow students. Here he receives an acknowledgment from the Ministry of Public Education. In war, in 1915 he received the military medal and in 1919 he married Maria Teresa, a French girl with whom he befriended as a young man who would give him a daughter Francesca. With his wife he settled in Paris, in Place St-Germain-des-Prés, right in front of the church. Shy and solitary, he leads an isolated life with his wife and does not frequent the artistic circles at all. He leaves for a long journey and exhibits at the Salon des Tuileries, at the Salon D'Automne and at the Salon des Artistes Indépendantes. His way of painting is very linear, so much so that he is also praised by critics and, in this period, he exhibits and organizes exhibitions in France and Italy. In Paris in 1926 he came into contact with the Italian avant-garde painters, frequented the Caffé del Duomo and made friends with many artists Giacometti, Gonzales, Fini and founded the Groupe des Sept, the Gruppo dei Sette with Campigli, De Chirico, Paresche, De Pipis Campigli, Savinio and Severino, a group that quickly became known internationally. His works sell like hot cakes and are requested and bought by museums throughout Europe. In 1935 he was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French. In 1936 he moved to Rome, where he was forced due to health to reduce his production and exhibition activities. In 1958 he reappeared on the international stage with an exhibition at the Annunciata gallery in Milan. In 1971 he returned to Paris both to be close to his daughter and grandchildren. He died on 8 September 1979 in his Parisian home in St.Jean Du Gard.

Age: Contemporary

Contemporary