By Livia Lupi
Painter and sculptor Filadelfo Simi died on 5 January in 1923 Florence. Born in 1849, he studied at the Accademia di belle Arti in Florence before moving to Paris to work with Jean-Léon Gérôme. Upon his return to Italy in 1878, he lived in Umbria before moving definitively to Florence, where he taught at the Accademia. Simi gained international recognition with paintings Winter Evening in the Fontainebleau Forest and A Reflection, which was bought by the Italian government for the Galleria d’arte moderna e contemporanea in Rome. Another important work is the statue of Garibaldi and his wife Anita at Porto Alegre in Brazil.
Simi’s legacy was taken forward by his daughter Nerina, who was also an artist. Nerina oversaw the development of her father’s art school, which numerous students and colleagues of Simi’s had attended, including Telemaco Signorini. Filadelfo’s first retrospective took place in Florence in 1958, and his work has featured in several more recent exhibitions.
Reference: Alba Tiberto Beluffi, Filadelfo Simi
See also I Macchiaioli
Filadelfo Simi working en plain air.
Giuseppe and Anita Garibaldi, 1911, marble, Porto Alegre.
Un riflesso, 1887, oil on canvas, Galleria d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Rome.