Duilio CAMBELLOTTI 1876-1960
Publications
Animalia, Galleria Paolo Antonacci, Rome, May 2023, catalog curated by P. Antonacci and L. Bocci, entry no. 20
Duilio Cambellotti was a multifaceted Italian artist known for his contributions to the fields of graphic and visual arts. He viewed art as having a social, global, moral, and pedagogical purpose, aiming to make it accessible to all.
Cambellotti's vast body of work spans multiple disciplines, including engraving, woodcutting, painting, set design, architecture, decoration, furniture design, graphic design, advertising poster creation, sculpture, ceramics, and illustration.
Born to a decorator and woodcarver, Cambellotti was deeply influenced by his father, who shaped his early artistic training. After attending the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Rome, though without receiving a diploma, Cambellotti began his career as a designer. His introduction to the world of theater came through his acquaintance with Alessandro Marcucci, a senior official in the Ministry of Public Education and theater enthusiast. This led to Cambellotti's work as a set designer for Roman and Sicilian theaters, including those in Syracuse and Taormina, the latter being where he spent several months of his life.
In addition to his involvement with theater, Cambellotti was profoundly connected to the rural world, frequently featuring themes of agrarian life in his works (such as the iconic wheat sheaf motif that appears in his furniture and other pieces).
His deep ties to this world inspired his socio-political activism. Alongside Marcucci, Giovanni Cena, Giacomo Balla, Sibilla Aleramo, and other Roman intellectuals, Cambellotti championed the reclamation of the Roman countryside and the Pontine marshes. In 1905, they founded the first schools for farmers on the edges of the ancient marshes. Their activism culminated in the 1911 International Exposition, where they organized the "Mostra delle Scuole dell'Agro Romano" to raise awareness about the neglected state of the countryside.
Cambellotti also explored architecture, designing homes for farming families and creating exquisite stained glass windows. Among his most famous works are the stained glass windows in the Casina delle Civette at Villa Torlonia in Rome.
He passed away in his hometown of Rome in 1960.