GIOCONDO ALBERTOLLI (1742-1839)

Giocondo Albertolli was born in Bedano, in Ticino, Switzerland.

In 1753 he began his studies in Parma under the guidance of Abbot Giuseppe Peroni, focusing his study on human form and modelled sculpture. After completing his training, he moved to Milan, where he embarked on a brilliant career as an architect, designer and engraver.

In 1775 he was a founding partner of the Accademia delle Belle Arti and became one of its first teachers. He established and directed the school of decoration until 1812, contributing decisively to the training of generations of artists.

Among the best known texts  are “Various Ornaments…” (1782), “Miscellanea for young students of Design…” (1796) and “Introductory Lessons for Architectural Decoration” (1805).

Albertolli combines the rigorous elegance of classicism with innovative ornamental solutions, focusing on the increasingly fashionable neoclassical idioms that were taking hold across Europe.

He died in 1839, at the age of ninety-seven, honoured and well known, having thoroughly defined the art of his century.