Marcello Piacentini
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Marcello Piacentini (8 December 1881 – 19 May 1960) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
urban theorist and one of the main proponents of Italian
Fascist architecture Fascist architecture encompasses various stylistic trends in architecture developed by architects of fascist states, primarily in the early 20th century. Fascist architectural styles gained popularity in the late 1920s with the rise of modernism a ...
.


Biography

Born in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, he was the son of architect Pio Piacentini. When he was only 26, he was commissioned to revamp of the historical center of
Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
(1907); subsequently, he worked in most of Italy, but his best works are those commissioned by the Fascist government in Rome. Piacentini devised a "simplified neoclassicism" midway between the neo-classicism of the
Novecento Italiano Novecento Italiano () was an Italian artistic movement founded in Milan in 1922 to create an art based on the rhetoric of the fascism of Benito Mussolini, Mussolini. History Novecento Italiano was founded by Anselmo Bucci (1887–1955), Leonardo ...
group (
Gio Ponti Giovanni "Gio" Ponti ( ͡ʒo18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher. During his career, which spanned six decades, Ponti built more tha ...
and others) and the rationalism of the
Gruppo 7 Gruppo 7 was a group of Italian architects who wanted to reform architecture by the adoption of Rationalism. It was formed in 1926 by Luigi Figini, Guido Frette, Sebastiano Larco, Gino Pollini, Carlo Enrico Rava, Giuseppe Terragni and Ubaldo Castagn ...
of
Giuseppe Terragni Giuseppe Terragni (; 18 April 1904 – 19 July 1943) was an Italian architect who worked primarily under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and pioneered the Italian modern movement under the rubric of Rationalism. His most famous work is the C ...
,
Adalberto Libera Adalberto Libera (; 16 July 1903 – 17 March 1963) was one of the most representative architects of the Italian Modern movement.Adalberto Libera at DARC (Dept. of Architecture and Contemporary Art, Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage) Biog ...
and others. His style became a mainstay of Fascist architecture in Rome, including the new university campus ( Università di Roma La Sapienza, 1932) and the E.U.R district, of which he was not only designer, but also High Commissar by will of
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. His other works include the renovation of
Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
and
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, the
Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia The Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (''National Museum of Magna Græcia''), Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria (''National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria'') or Palazzo Piacentini is a museum in Reggio Calabria, souther ...
in
Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...
, the opening of
Via della Conciliazione Via della Conciliazione (Road of the Conciliation) is a street in the Rione of Borgo within Rome, Italy. Roughly in length, it connects Saint Peter's Square to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River. The road was constru ...
in Rome, and the restoration of the
Rome Opera House The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...
(1928–1958). Piacentini became an important colonial architect, particularly in
Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
in Eastern Libya. The style of his buildings is characteristic of the
Neo-Moorish Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centur ...
period of Italian colonial architecture in Libya in the 1920s. This is evident in his Albergo Italia as well as the Berenice Theatre in
Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...
. Piacentini was made project manager of all Italian building works in Cyrenaica. He was also professor of Urban Planning at La Sapienza, of which he was also president. After the fall of the Fascist regime he did not work as architect for several years. He died in Rome in 1960.


Works

*
Potenza Potenza (, also , ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one ...
, Progetto Ophelia (
Ophelia Project The Ophelia Project by Giuseppe Quaroni and Marcello Piacentini refers to an innovative mental health hospital built in Potenza, Basilicata (Italy), in the 1910s. It was built in an area, Santa Maria, whose development over time has been greatly ...
), 1910 *
Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...
, Albergo Italia (Italia Hotel, known beforehand as Grande Albergo Roma) 1913 (along with architect
Luigi Piccinato Luigi Piccinato (30 October 1899 – 29 July 1983) was an Italian architect and town planner. Works * ''Urbanistica medioevale'', Florence, 1943 * Napoli Centrale railway station, Naples, 1954 * Stadio Adriatico, Pescara, 1955 * A-Block Apartment ...
) *Benghazi, Benghazi Central Railway Station, 1916 *
Acqui Terme Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...
, Villa Ottolenghi, 1920, with Federico d’Amato, later
Pietro Porcinai Pietro Porcinai (Fiesole, Italy 1910– Florence, Italy 1986) is renowned as one of the most outstanding Italian landscape architects of the twentieth century. He designed a wide variety of projects on the most diverse scales: gardens and public p ...
completed the villa and the park. *Benghazi, Interior of the
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, 1925 *Benghazi, Berenice Theatre, 1928 * Bolzano Victory Monument, 1926–1928 *
Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
, Piazza della Vittoria, 1927–1932 *Brescia, Torrione INA, 1930–1932 *
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
,
Arco della Vittoria The ''Arco della Vittoria'' (Victory Arch), also known as ''Monumento ai Caduti'' or ''Arco dei Caduti'' (Arch of the Fallen), is a memorial arch located in in Genoa, Italy. It is dedicated to the Genoese who died during World War I, and it was ...
, 1931 *Bolzano, Army Headquarters, 1933–1935 *
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, Generali Building, 1934–1935 *
Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...
,
Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia The Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (''National Museum of Magna Græcia''), Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria (''National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria'') or Palazzo Piacentini is a museum in Reggio Calabria, souther ...
, 1932–1941 *
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, church of
Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re is a Roman Catholic church (minor basilica) in Rome, designed between the 1920s and 1930s by Marcello Piacentini. History The idea for a new church in the newly developed ''Quartiere della Vittoria'' (literally ''Dist ...
, 1920–1934 *Rome, restore of
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...
, 1926–1928 *Rome, planning for
Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...
campus, 1935 *Rome,
Via della Conciliazione Via della Conciliazione (Road of the Conciliation) is a street in the Rione of Borgo within Rome, Italy. Roughly in length, it connects Saint Peter's Square to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River. The road was constru ...
, 1936–1950, with Attilio Spaccarelli *Rome, planning for EUR district, 1938–1942 *Rome, planning for EUR district, 1938–1942 *Rome, Albergo degli Ambasciatori (
Via Veneto Via Vittorio Veneto (), colloquially called Via Veneto, is one of the most famous, elegant, and expensive streets of Rome, Italy. The street is named after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (1918), a decisive Italian victory of World War I. Federico F ...
), 1925–1932 *São Paulo,
Matarazzo Building Matarazzo Building (Portuguese: Edifício Matarazzo), also known as Palácio do Anhangabaú (Anhangabaú Palace) is the city hall of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It belonged to Banespa until 2004, when it was sold to the city government. It was ...
, 1939 *Rome,
Teatro Sistina The Teatro Sistina is a theatre in Rome, Italy. The building, designed by Marcello Piacentini, was begun in 1946 on the former site of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Polish Institute. It was inaugurated on 28 December 1949 as a cinema, but later ...
(1946–1949) *Rome, Cappella universitaria Divina Sapienza (1947–1952) *
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
, Nuovo Palazzo della Ragione (1954–1956) *Rome, Palazzo dello Sport (1960), in collaboration with
Pier Luigi Nervi Pier Luigi Nervi (21 June 1891 – 9 January 1979) was an Italian engineer and architect. He studied at the University of Bologna graduating in 1913. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946 to 1961 and is known wor ...


References


Piacentini Marcello
Fascismo - Architettura - Arte / Arte fascista web site


Sources

* * * * * Luigi Monzo, ''trasformismo architettonico'' – Piacentinis Kirche Sacro Cuore di Cristo Re in Rom im Kontext der kirchenbaulichen Erneuerung im faschistischen Italien, in ''Kunst und Politik. Jahrbuch der Guernica-Gesellschaft'', 15.2013, pp. 83-100. * Christine Beese, ''Marcello Piacentini. Moderner Städtebau in Italien.'' Berlin 2016. * Luigi Monzo, ''Review to Beese, Christine: Marcello Piacentini. Moderner Städtebau in Italien, Berlin 2016.'' In ''architectura: Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Baukunst'', 45.2015/1 (published October 2016), pp. 88-91. {{DEFAULTSORT:Piacentini, Marcello 1881 births 1960 deaths Artists from Rome 20th-century Italian architects Architects from Rome Italian fascist architecture Members of the Royal Academy of Italy Sapienza University of Rome faculty