Ponti Art Gallery is interested in buying and selling works
of art by this artist.
Renato Paresce Biography
Renato Herbert Paresce, born on January 5, 1886, in Carouge, a suburb of Geneva, Switzerland, was a multifaceted artist whose life and work spanned across various European cultures and artistic movements. His father, a militant socialist from Palermo, and his mother, Lidia Ignatieff, the daughter of a Russian businessman, provided Paresce with a rich cultural and intellectual heritage that would influence his diverse career as a painter, writer, and translator.
Paresce's early life was marked by frequent travels with his family, including stays in Moscow and Florence. It was in Florence where he attended the Istituto tecnico industriale Leonardo da Vinci and later enrolled in the Physics program at the University of Bologna. Despite his initial scientific pursuits, Paresce completed his physics thesis in Palermo in 1911, focusing on the subject of light spectra. This scientific background would later inform his artistic work, particularly in his approach to color and light.
After being refused an academic position in Palermo, Paresce turned to teaching natural sciences at the Barnabite affiliated Collegio alla Quercia in Florence. However, his passion for painting never waned, and he befriended notable painter Baccio Maria Bacci. Paresce also worked as a translator, showcasing his linguistic talents by translating French and Russian texts.
In 1912, Paresce married Ella Klatschko, the daughter of the Russian-Jewish revolutionary Samuel Klatschko, and moved to Paris. This relocation marked a significant turning point in his career, as Paris was then the epicenter of the avant-garde art world. In Paris, Paresce met and befriended several key figures of the art scene, including Cezanne, Odilon Redon, Picasso, Diaghilev, Élie Faure, Paul Fort, Max Jacob, André Salmon, Diego Rivera, and Modigliani, who dedicated a painting to him in 1917. Paresce played a crucial role as an intermediary between the culture of the Ecole de Paris and the Italian avant-garde.
During World War I, Paresce moved to London, where he engaged in marine research with the National Physical Laboratory and met Oskar Kokoschka. After the war, he traveled as a journalist to cover the Versailles conference, working for Il Giornale d'Italia and later La Stampa, under the pseudonym Renato. His writings included pieces on art criticism and painting, which helped support his family.
Paresce's involvement with the Novecento Italiano movement, an artistic movement founded in Milan in 1922 that sought to create art based on the rhetoric of fascism, further established his reputation in the Italian art scene. Despite the movement's controversial political affiliations, Paresce continued to exhibit his work in Milan, Venice, Zürich, and Paris, demonstrating his commitment to his artistic practice.
In 1931, under the patronage of Waldemar-George, Paresce participated in an exhibition of Italian painters at the Salon de l'Escalier in Paris, alongside Giorgio de Chirico, Alberto Savinio, Mario Tozzi, Filippo de Pisis, Gino Severini, and Massimo Campigli. His personal exhibition at the Galleria del Milione in Milan in 1933 further solidified his status as a significant figure in the Italian art world.
Paresce's later years were marked by a voyage around the world in 1934, which he chronicled in a series of articles for La Stampa, later collected in a book titled L’altra America. Despite a declining interest in painting towards the end of his life, Paresce's contributions to the art world remained significant. He passed away in Paris on October 15, 1937, leaving behind a legacy that bridged multiple cultures, artistic movements, and disciplines.
Renato Paresce Quotes and
Sales of Works
Ponti Art Gallery selects and deals with paintings by the
artist. Upon request, we provide free estimates and
evaluations, communicate prices, quotations, and current
market values.
If you are interested in BUYING or SELLING works by the
artist, contact us immediately.
If you wish to sell or receive an evaluation of the
works:
Send us a frontal photo of the painting, one of the back,
and one of the signature. Also, indicate the dimensions of
the work. Inform us about the purchase origin of the work
and any kind of available documentation (purchase
receipts, certificates of authenticity, publications). One
of our operators will respond to you on the same day. We
guarantee maximum confidentiality and extreme
professionalism.
If you wish to purchase works by the painter: Contact us
and let us know your request. We will inform you about the
available works. We also offer the possibility to
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informed at the beginning of each month about the latest
acquisitions of the art gallery.
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