Alvaro Molteni Biography
Alvaro Molteni (1920 - 2015) was born in Como in 1930. He was part of the "Como Group" and his production must in fact be inserted in the exceptional period of Como Abstractionism, which developed starting from the 1930s around reference figures of the caliber by Giuseppe Terragni, Manlio Rho, Mario Radice, Carla Badiali, Aldo Galli. In an atmosphere full of happy stimulations that came from different fields, the small town of Como experienced a sort of Como Bauhaus with which the very young Alvaro, passionate about drawing since childhood, came into contact after completing the artistic drawing course at the “Gabriele Castellini” School of Arts and Crafts. Born into a poor family, he began working in the textile design studio of the painter Mario Persicalli during school and, after completing his studies, he was hired by the Sala e Galli studio: an important step because here he met the painter Aldo Galli who introduced him to the local artistic environment. The city's economy was then based on the textile supply chain, which revolved around silk production and many artists supported themselves by putting their creativity at the service of the Como industry, thus becoming true textile designers. In those years, the young designer Alvaro also practiced painting under the guidance of his teachers and attracted the sympathy of Terragni and Rho, who affectionately called him "ul bocia" (the boy) and followed his growth. Three works by the artist are preserved in the Pinacoteca di Como, a significant synthesis of his artistic research.
