Alberto Magnelli

Florencia, 1888 – 1971

Alberto Magnelli is one of the most representative artists of the first half of the 20th century and among the few whose work best encapsulates the major artistic principles of this important period. After an early phase influenced by the colourism and delicacy of Gustav Klimt, Magnelli was soon drawn to the radical ideas proposed by Cubism and Futurism. However, his relationship with Futurism remained relatively superficial, and he quickly distanced himself from the movement. His attachment to tradition and his constant desire to remain independent, avoiding categorisation, helped accelerate this separation and shaped his attitude towards art throughout his entire career.

The works produced during his first period, between 1909 and 1918, are defined by a schematic style oscillating between figuration and abstraction, as well as by an extraordinary use of colour. At the beginning of the 1920s, his painting adopted a more subdued palette and returned to simple figurative subjects. In the 1930s, after settling permanently in Paris, Magnelli created the famous series of paintings known as Pierres, and from 1935 onwards his commitment to geometric abstraction became definitive.

During the 1940s, his works developed into complex and architectural compositional structures, while in the 1950s and 1960s he focused on a more controlled geometry, based on subtle balances and avoiding strict symmetry. Magnelli died of a heart attack on 20 April.