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Andrea
Roggi, Italian artist born in Castiglion Fiorentino, Tuscany, in 1962. He
started painting at the age of 15 and was very soon attracted by the third
dimension. Later he naturally moved towards sculpture. In
1991 he founded the artistic workshop “The sculpture of Andrea Roggi”,
where he produces his works, mainly using bronze and marble. The
bronze sculptures are made using the lost-wax casting process, an ancient
technique dating back to the Etruscans. Andrea has customized this method thanks
to his studies in the fields of chemistry and metallurgy, as well as his
constant collaboration with teachers at the University of Georgia and
Texas, whose students, based in nearby Cortona and Castiglion
Fiorentino, attend courses given by the artist himself. With
the invaluable help of expert assistants, Andrea creates sculptures that are
rich in detail and can be of considerable size. He relies on the important and
constant support of his family, his primary source of inspiration. His
bronze sculptures are characterized by a multicolour coating achieved via
special treatment with chemical reagents, which, transformed and fixed by heat,
remains unaltered in time and space. Many
of Andrea's works are on display in public areas throughout Italy, especially in
Tuscany and Umbria. His sculptures are regularly commissioned by local councils,
associations, service clubs, institutions and private citizens; they adorn
squares, roundabouts, hospitals, universities, parks, and churches. Furthermore,
Andrea's works of art form part of several private collections around the world. Over
the years Andrea has concentrated on many different themes, such as “fragments”,
“flowers of dreams”, “Tuscans”, “spheres”, “meetings”, “flying
women”, “knowledge”, “tree of life”, and ultimately “source of
life”. The human being is the constant focus of his research, which is
based on a single guiding principle: the “circle of life”, that is, the
essence of life, often represented in his work by a golden sphere,
symbolising an inner energy. Andrea
Roggi has also produced a number of artistic bells, starting in
2006 with the “Bell of Brotherhood” (with a diameter of 1 metre) up to the
openwork “Bell of the Meeting of Peoples” (almost 2 metres tall), thus
renewing the traditional concept of bells. The
artist is the promoter of the movement “Art for
Young”,
aimed at teaching how to appreciate sculpture not only as an artistic and
creative event addressed to a few experts, but also as an important opportunity
for cultural development for everyone. In
1999 he unveiled a monument dedicated to Roberto Benigni at
Manciano di Castiglion Fiorentino, birthplace of the famous actor who won an
Oscar for the film “Life is Beautiful”. Subsequently the “Parco della
Creatività” (Park of Creativity) was set up for the purpose of conveying a
passion for art to young people, stimulating them to express their own
creativity. Many of Andrea's works are exhibited in the Park of Creativity,
which hosts the works of other Italian and foreign artists as well. The park is
also used for cultural events, such as poetry, music, theatre, painting,
sculpture, and photography workshops. Creativity
is the leading theme of the activities in the park, which are mainly aimed at
involving the youth. The
Park of Creativity, located near Andrea's studio, is open to the public by
appointment. At
the beginning of the 2000s, in collaboration with other local artists, Andrea
introduced the “Strada della Creatività” (Way of Creativity):
a route connecting the studios of several artists who are willing to welcome
school groups and individual art-loving visitors. In July 2012, the city of Spoleto gave the award to Andrea Roggi "Spoleto Festival Art" for Lifetime In October we held a retrospective exhibition "The circle of life" in the Palazzo della Signoria in Spoleto curated by critics Luca Filipponi and Gilberto Madioni. In December, opens the personal art gallery in Cortona in via Casali 6, "The Circle of Life art gallery" The works of Andrea Roggi are permanently exhibited in the Park of Creativity, Palazzo Ferretti in Cortona (Arezzo). The
sculptor takes part in art exhibitions in Italy and in The Netherlands. On January 31, 2013 was awarded to Andrea Roggi
"Premio Internazionale Comunicare l'Europa 2013" for the culture given to the
Camera dei Deputati in Rome |
Biography
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