Garzia Fioresi Biography
Garzia Fioresi (1888 - 1968) pseudonym of Alfredo Grandi, was born in Vigevano (PV) in 1888. After his family moved to Bologna in 1902, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, obtaining his diploma in 1908. He was enlisted as an officer and was called to the Libyan War in 1912 and on the Carnie and Asiago front in 1916. He returned the following year as he contracted malaria. The war experience did not prevent him from becoming known as a painter. He took part in two Venice Biennials (1912, 1914), the Rome Secessions (1913, 1914-1915) and the Francesco Francia exhibitions, where, in 1916, he won first prize with his work Madre. Following his marriage and the birth of a daughter, Fioresi mainly created figure works characterized by great plastic strength and expressive immediacy. Always dissatisfied and looking for new ways, he destroyed many early works in the following years. In the post-war period, perhaps the richest period of his activity, his participation in exhibitions was assiduous: he participated continuously in the Venetian Biennials (from 1920 to 1930) and in three Roman Biennials (from 1921 to 1925). Starting from the 1920s, although not abandoning the previous figurative subjects, he mainly dedicated himself to a naturalistic themed production, depicting not only Bolognese landscapes, but also Neapolitan and Adriatic seascapes, glimpses of the Venice lagoon, visions of Garda and landscapes of the Mesola . Called up to arms in 1940, he was soon discharged to continue teaching in Bologna. Throughout his life he maintained a strong friendship with the painter Giorgio Morandi. He died in Bologna in 1968.
