Ezechiele Leandro Biography
Ezechiele Leandro (Lequile, 10 April 1905 – San Cesario di Lecce, 17 February 1981) was an Italian painter, sculptor and poet who lived in Salento. On 14 November 1916 Giovanna Ciurlia recognized Leandro as her own son (without however being able to give him his surname) and was locked up in a convent with the friars. Once found, he was given the name Ezechiele Leandro and was immediately entrusted to a wet nurse. Until 1916 he attended some elementary school classes and worked as a shepherd. In 1921 he left for military service. In 1933 he married Francesca Martina and moved to San Cesario di Lecce. In 1939 he was called up to arms and assigned to the barracks of the Guardia di Finanza di Mare in 1941 in Matera, where he moved with his family who followed him two years later to San Cesario, having been assigned to Galatina. In 1946 he opened a bicycle rental, repair and sales workshop, and also worked as a cement worker and increased his scrap business. He purchased the land in via Cerundolo and began the construction of his house (now the House Museum) and moved his scrap dealer business to Lecce, which had significantly increased. In 1957, after experimenting with sculpture, he decided to try his hand at painting. On 12 October 1975 "The Sanctuary of Patience" was inaugurated at the Leandro San Cesario Museum in Lecce. Reviewed by important newspapers and art catalogues, he received the title of Academician of the Tiber Academy of Rome, won numerous awards and in 1977 published his first book, The Creation of Angels and the Sin of Adam and Eve, and in 1980 for the book Sentite questo he was nominated "Honorary Academician for life" by the International Academy of Letters, Arts and Sciences of Bologna. With the collaboration of the Municipality of San Cesario and the Quotidiano di Lecce he prepared the great exhibition scheduled for February of the new year at the Museum of Contemporary Art of San Cesario, but he died on 17 February 1981.
