Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( , ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he founded the '' scuola metafisica'' art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His most well-known works often feature Roman arcades, long shadows,

mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. ...

s, trains, and illogical perspective. His imagery reflects his affinity for the philosophy of

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( , ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is best known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the phenomenal world as the prod ...

and of

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

, and for the mythology of his birthplace. After 1919, he became a critic of modern art, studied traditional painting techniques, and worked in a neoclassical or neo-

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

style, while frequently revisiting the metaphysical themes of his earlier work.

Life and works

Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico was born in

Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...

, Greece, as the eldest son of Gemma Cervetto and Evaristo de Chirico. His mother was a

baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or ...

of Genoese originsNikolaos Velissiotis
"The Origins of Adelaide Mabili and Her Marriage to Giorgio De Chirico: Restoration of the Historical Truth"
, ''Metaphysical Art'', 2013, N° 11/13. (likely born in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

) and his father a Sicilian ''

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...

e'' from a family of Greek descent (the Kyriko or Chirico family was of Greek origin, having moved from

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

in 1523 together with 4000 other

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine C ...

families). De Chirico's family was in Greece at the time of his birth because his father, an engineer, was in charge of the construction of a railroad. His younger brother, Andrea Francesco Alberto, became a famous writer, painter and composer under the pseudonym

Alberto Savinio Alberto Savinio , born as Andrea Francesco Alberto de Chirico (25 August 1891 – 5 May 1952) was a Greek-Italian writer, painter, musician, journalist, essayist, playwright, set designer and composer. He was the younger brother of 'metaphysical ...

. Beginning in 1900, de Chirico studied drawing and painting at

Athens Polytechnic The National (Metsovian) Technical University of Athens (NTUA; el, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, ''National Metsovian Polytechnic''), sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest higher education institution ...

—mainly under the guidance of the Greek painters Georgios Roilos and Georgios Jakobides. After Evaristo de Chirico's death in 1905, the family relocated in 1906 to Germany, after first visiting Florence.Gale, Matthew (2003, January 01). "De Chirico, Giorgio". Grove Art Online. Ed. De Chirico entered the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, where he studied under

Gabriel von Hackl Gabriel (von) Hackl (24 March 1843 – 5 June 1926) was a German historicism (art), historicist painter. Life and work He was born in Maribor, Lower Styria, Austrian Empire. A surgeon's son, he attended the gymnasium (school), gymnasium in his ...

and

Carl von Marr Carl von Marr (February 14, 1858 – July 10, 1936) was an American-born German painter whose work encompassed religious and mythological subjects, genre art, genre, and portraits. He was also a professor of art in Munich. Biography He was ...

and read the writings of the philosophers

and

Otto Weininger Otto Weininger (; 3 April 1880 – 4 October 1903) was an Austrian philosopher who lived in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1903, he published the book ''Geschlecht und Charakter'' (''Sex and Character''), which gained popularity after his suici ...

. There, he also studied the works of

Arnold Böcklin Arnold Böcklin (16 October 182716 January 1901) was a Swiss symbolist painter. Biography He was born in Basel. His father, Christian Frederick Böcklin (b. 1802), was descended from an old family of Schaffhausen, and engaged in the silk trade ...

and

Max Klinger Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of graphic arts and printmak ...

.see the entry on de Chirico in "Propyläen Kunstgeschichte, Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts 1880–1940", by Giulio Carlo Argan, 1990, p. 201, The style of his earliest paintings, such as ''The Dying Centaur'' (1909), shows the influence of Böcklin.

Metaphysical art

De Chirico returned to Italy in the summer of 1909 and spent six months in Milan. By 1910, he was beginning to paint in a simpler style of flat, anonymous surfaces. At the beginning of 1910, he moved to Florence where he painted the first of his 'Metaphysical Town Square' series, ''The Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon'', after the revelation he felt in

Piazza Santa Croce Piazza Santa Croce is one of the main plazas or squares located in the central neighbourhood of Florence, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. It is located near Piazza della Signoria and the National Central Library, and takes its name from the B ...

. He also painted ''The Enigma of the Oracle'' while in Florence. In July 1911 he spent a few days in Turin on his way to Paris. De Chirico was profoundly moved by what he called the 'metaphysical aspect' of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, especially the architecture of its archways and piazzas. The paintings de Chirico produced between 1909 and 1919, his metaphysical period, are characterized by haunted, brooding moods evoked by their images. At the start of this period, his subjects were motionless cityscapes inspired by the bright daylight of Mediterranean cities, but gradually he turned his attention to studies of cluttered storerooms, sometimes inhabited by

-like hybrid figures. De Chirico's conception of Metaphysical art was strongly influenced by his reading of Nietzsche, whose style of writing fascinated de Chirico with its suggestions of unseen auguries beneath the appearance of things. De Chirico found inspiration in the unexpected sensations that familiar places or things sometimes produced in him: In a manuscript of 1909 he wrote of the "host of strange, unknown and solitary things that can be translated into painting ... What is required above all is a pronounced sensitivity." Metaphysical art combined everyday reality with mythology, and evoked inexplicable moods of nostalgia, tense expectation, and estrangement. The picture space often featured illogical, contradictory, and drastically receding perspectives. Among de Chirico's most frequent motifs were arcades, of which he wrote: "The Roman arcade is fate ... its voice speaks in riddles which are filled with a peculiarly Roman poetry". De Chirico moved to Paris in July 1911, where he joined his brother Andrea. Through his brother he met Pierre Laprade, a member of the jury at the

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The ...

, where he exhibited three of his works: ''Enigma of the Oracle'', ''Enigma of an Afternoon'' and ''Self-Portrait''. During 1913 he exhibited paintings at the

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

and Salon d’Automne; his work was noticed by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of t ...

, and he sold his first painting, ''The Red Tower''. His time in Paris also resulted in the production of Chirico's ''Ariadne''. In 1914, through Apollinaire, he met the art dealer

Paul Guillaume Paul Guillaume (1891 in Paris – 1934 in Paris) was a French art dealer. Dealer of Chaïm Soutine and Amedeo Modigliani, he was one of the first to organize African art exhibitions. He also bought and sold many works from cutting-edge artists of ...

, with whom he signed a contract for his artistic output. At the outbreak of World War I, he returned to Italy. Upon his arrival in May 1915, he enlisted in the army, but he was considered unfit for work and assigned to the hospital at Ferrara. The shop windows of that town inspired a series of paintings that feature biscuits, maps, and geometric constructions in indoor settings. In Ferrara he met with

Carlo Carrà Carlo Carrà (; February 11, 1881 – April 13, 1966) was an Italian painter and a leading figure of the Futurist movement that flourished in Italy during the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to his many paintings, he wrote a number ...

and together they founded the pittura metafisica movement. He continued to paint, and in 1918, he transferred to Rome. Starting from 1918, his work was exhibited extensively in Europe.

Return to order

In November 1919, de Chirico published an article in ''

Valori plastici ''Valori plastici'' (meaning ''Plastic Values'' in English) was an Italian magazine published in Rome in Italian and French. The magazines existed between 1918 and 1921. History and profile ''Valori plastici'' was established in Rome by the paint ...

'' entitled "The Return of Craftsmanship", in which he advocated a return to traditional methods and iconography. This article heralded an abrupt change in his artistic orientation, as he adopted a classicizing manner inspired by such old masters as

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

and Signorelli, and became part of the post-war

return to order The return to order (French: ''retour à l'ordre'') was a European art movement that followed the First World War, rejecting the extreme avant-garde art of the years up to 1918 and taking its inspiration from classical art instead. The movement w ...

in the arts. He became an outspoken opponent of

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

. In the early 1920s, the Surrealist writer

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first '' Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

discovered one of de Chirico's metaphysical paintings on display in Guillaume's Paris gallery, and was enthralled. Numerous young artists who were similarly affected by de Chirico's imagery became the core of the Paris Surrealist group centered around Breton. In 1924 de Chirico visited Paris and was accepted into the group, although the surrealists were severely critical of his post-metaphysical work. De Chirico met and married his first wife, the Russian ballerina Raissa Gurievich (1894-1979) in 1925, and together they moved to Paris.Holzhey 2005, p. 94. His relationship with the Surrealists grew increasingly contentious, as they publicly disparaged his new work; by 1926 he had come to regard them as "cretinous and hostile". They soon parted ways in acrimony. In 1928 he held his first exhibition in New York City and shortly afterwards, London. He wrote essays on art and other subjects, and in 1929 published a novel entitled ''Hebdomeros, the Metaphysician''. Also in 1929, he made stage designs for

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pa ...

Later work

In 1930, de Chirico met his second wife, Isabella Pakszwer Far (1909–1990), a Russian, with whom he would remain for the rest of his life. Together they moved to Italy in 1932 and to the US in 1936, finally settling in Rome in 1944. In 1948 he bought a house near the

Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps ( it, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairw ...

; now the Giorgio de Chirico House Museum, a museum dedicated to his work. In 1939, he adopted a neo-

style influenced by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

. De Chirico's later paintings never received the same critical praise as did those from his metaphysical period. He resented this, as he thought his later work was better and more mature. He nevertheless produced backdated "self-forgeries" both to profit from his earlier success, and as an act of revenge—retribution for the critical preference for his early work. He also denounced many paintings attributed to him in public and private collections as forgeries. In 1945, he published his memoirs. He remained extremely prolific even as he approached his 90th year. During the 1960s,

Massimiliano Fuksas Massimiliano Fuksas (born January 9, 1944) is an Italian architect. He is the head of ''Studio Fuksas'' in partnership with his wife, Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas, with offices in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen. Biography Fuksas was born in Rome in 194 ...

worked in his atelier. In 1974 de Chirico was elected to the French Académie des Beaux-Arts. He died in Rome on 20 November 1978. In 1992 his remains were moved to the Roman church of

San Francesco a Ripa San Francesco a Ripa is a church in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Francis of Assisi who once stayed at the adjacent convent. The term ''Ripa'' refers to the nearby riverbank of the Tiber. History The origins of this church are related to a Fr ...

Style

De Chirico's best-known works are the paintings of his metaphysical period. In them he developed a repertoire of motifs—empty arcades, towers, elongated shadows, mannequins, and trains among others—that he arranged to create "images of forlornness and emptiness" that paradoxically also convey a feeling of "power and freedom". According to Sanford Schwartz, de Chirico—whose father was a railroad engineer—painted images that suggest "the way you take in buildings and vistas from the perspective of a train window. His towers, walls, and plazas seem to flash by, and you are made to feel the power that comes from seeing things that way: you feel you know them more intimately than the people do who live with them day by day." In 1982, Robert Hughes wrote that de Chirico In this, he resembles his more representational American contemporary,

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

: their pictures' low sunlight, their deep and often irrational shadows, their empty walkways and portentous silences creating an enigmatic visual poetry.

Legacy

De Chirico won praise for his work almost immediately from the writer

, who helped to introduce his work to the later Surrealists. De Chirico strongly influenced the Surrealist movement:

Yves Tanguy Raymond Georges Yves Tanguy (January 5, 1900 – January 15, 1955), known as just Yves Tanguy (, ), was a French surrealist painter. Biography Tanguy, the son of a retired navy captain, was born January 5, 1900, at the Ministry of Naval Aff ...

wrote how one day in 1922 he saw one of de Chirico's paintings in an art dealer's window, and was so impressed by it he resolved on the spot to become an artist—although he had never even held a brush. Other Surrealists who acknowledged de Chirico's influence include

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

, and

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and bound ...

, who described his first sighting of de Chirico's ''The Song of Love'' as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes ''saw'' thought for the first time." Other artists as diverse as

Giorgio Morandi Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaker who specialized in still life. His paintings are noted for their tonal subtlety in depicting simple subjects, which were limited mainly to vases, bottles, bo ...

, Paul Delvaux,

Carel Willink Albert Carel Willink (; 7 March 1900 – 19 October 1983) was a Dutch painter who called his style of Magic realism "imaginary realism". Life and career Albert Carel Willink was born on 7 March 1900 in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Harue Koga was a Japanese avant-garde painter active from the 1910s to the early 1930s. He is considered to be one of the first and one of the most representative Japanese surrealist painters. Early life Harue Koga was born Yoshio Koga in 1895 to parents ...

Philip Guston Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein, June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980), was a Canadian American painter, printmaker, muralist and draftsman. Early in his five decade career, muralist David Siquieros described him as one of "the most promising ...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

and Mark Kostabi were influenced by de Chirico. De Chirico's style has influenced several filmmakers, particularly in the 1950s through 1970s. The visual style of the French animated film '' Le Roi et l'oiseau'', by

Paul Grimault Paul Grimault (; 23 March 1905 – 29 March 1994) was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical in nature. His most important work is ''Le Roi et l' ...

and

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...

, was influenced by de Chirico's work, primarily via Tanguy, a friend of Prévert.Quelques propositions d’activités – ''Le roi et l'oiseau''
, Paola Martini et Pascale Ramel, p. 4 The visual style of

Valerio Zurlini Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian film director, stage director and screenwriter. Biography During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlin ...

's film ''

The Desert of the Tartars ''The Desert of the Tartars'' ( it, Il deserto dei Tartari) is a 1976 Italian film by director Valerio Zurlini with an international cast including Jacques Perrin, Vittorio Gassman, Max von Sydow, Francisco Rabal, Philippe Noiret, Fernando Re ...

'' (1976) was influenced by de Chirico's work.

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni (, ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian filmmaker. He is best known for directing his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents"—''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and ''L'Eclisse'' (1962 ...

, the Italian film director, also said he was influenced by de Chirico. Some comparison can be made to the long takes in Antonioni's films from the 1960s, in which the camera continues to linger on desolate cityscapes populated by a few distant figures, or none at all, in the absence of the film's protagonists. In 1958, Riverside Records used a reproduction of de Chirico's 1915 painting ''The Seer'' (originally painted as a tribute to French poet

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

) as the cover art for pianist

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

's live album '' Misterioso''. The choice was made to capitalize on Monk's popularity with intellectual and bohemian fans from venues such as the

Five Spot Café The Five Spot Café was a jazz club located at 5 Cooper Square (1956–1962) in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City, between the East and West Village. In 1962, it moved to 2 St. Marks Place until closing in 1967. Its friendly, non-commerc ...

, where the album had been recorded, but Monk biographer

Robin Kelley Robin Davis Gibran Kelley (born March 14, 1962) is an American historian and academic, who is the Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA. From 2006 to 2011, he was Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Sout ...

later observed deeper connections between the painting and the pianist's music; Rimbaud had "called on the artist to be a seer in order to plumb the depths of the unconscious in the quest for clairvoyance ... The one-eyed figure represented the visionary. The architectural forms and the placement of the chalkboard evoked the unity of art and science—a perfect symbol for an artist whose music has been called 'mathematical.'" Writers who have appreciated de Chirico include

John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery (July 28, 1927 – September 3, 2017) was an American poet and art critic. Ashbery is considered the most influential American poet of his time. Oxford University literary critic John Bayley wrote that Ashbery "sounded, in ...

, who has called ''

Hebdomeros ''Hebdomeros'' is a 1929 book (referred to by some as a novel) by Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. Chirico did not produce any other long-form writing. The book is narrated in the third person and loosely concerns the movement of a man, Hebdo ...

'' "probably ... the finest ajor work of Surrealist fiction" Several of

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, '' Th ...

's poems are influenced by de Chirico. In his book ''Blizzard of One''

Mark Strand Mark Strand (April 11, 1934 – November 29, 2014) was a Canadian-born American poet, essayist and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990 and received the Wallace Stevens Award in 2004 ...

included a poetic diptych called "Two de Chiricos": "The Philosopher's Conquest" and "The Disquieting Muses". Gabriele Tinti composed three poems inspired by de Chirico's paintings: ''The Nostalgia of the Poet'' (1914), ''The Uncertainty of the Poet'' (1913), and ''Ariadne'' (1913), works in the

Peggy Guggenheim Collection The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is an art museum on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro ''sestiere'' of Venice, Italy. It is one of the most visited attractions in Venice. The collection is housed in the , an 18th-century palace, which was the home ...

, the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, and the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, respectively. The poems were read by actor

Burt Young Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (born April 30, 1940), known professionally as Burt Young, is an American actor, author and painter. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the ''Rocky'' film series. He was nominated for ...

at the Met in 2016. The box art for

Fumito Ueda is a Japanese video game designer. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of '' Ico'' (2001) and ''Shadow of the Colossus'' (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and ''The Last Guardian'' (2016) through his own development ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...

game ''

Ico is an action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002 in various regions. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ued ...

'' sold in Japan and Europe was strongly influenced by de Chirico. The cover art of New Order's single " Thieves Like Us" is based on de Chirico's painting ''The Evil Genius of a King''. The music video for the

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

song " Loving the Alien" was partly influenced by de Chirico. Bowie was an admirer of his genderless tailors' dummies.

Honours

* 1958: Member of the

Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, sometimes referred to as ') is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Comm ...

. * Académie de France

Selected works

*''Flight of the Centauri'', ''Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon'' and ''Enigma of the Oracle'' (1909) *''Ritratto di Andrea de Chirico'' (Alias

) (1909–1910) *''

The Enigma of the Hour ''The Enigma of the Hour'' is a painting by the Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( , ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the ...

'' (1911) *''

The Nostalgia of the Infinite ''The Nostalgia of the Infinite'' ( it, La nostalgia dell'infinito, link=no) is a painting by Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico, painted in the early 1910s. The subject of the painting is a large tower. The scene is struck by low, ...

'' (1911), or 1912–1913 *''Melanconia'', ''The Enigma of the Arrival'' and ''La Matinée Angoissante'' (1912) *'' The Soothsayers Recompense'', ''The Red Tower'', ''Ariadne'', ''The Awakening of Ariadne'', ''The Uncertainty of the Poet'', ''La Statua Silenziosa'', ''The Anxious Journey'', ''Melancholy of a Beautiful Day'', '' Le Rêve Transformé'', and ''Self-Portrait'' (1913) *''The Anguish of Departure'' (begun in 1913), ''Portrait of

'', ''The Nostalgia of the Poet'', ''L'Énigme de la fatalité'', '' Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure)'', '' The Song of Love'', ''The Enigma of a Day'', ''The Philosopher's Conquest'', ''The Child's Brain'', ''The Philosopher and the Poet'', ''Still Life: Turin in Spring'', ''Piazza d'Italia (Autumn Melancholy)'', and ''Melancholy and Mystery of a Street'' (1914) *''The Evil Genius of a King'' (begun in 1914), ''The Seer'' (or ''The Prophet''), ''Piazza d’Italia'', ''

The Double Dream of Spring ''The Double Dream of Spring'' (also known as ''Doppio Sogno di Primavera'', 1915) is a painting by the Italy, Italian Metaphysical art, metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. The painting depicts apparently related but separate scenes. The sce ...

'', ''The Purity of a Dream'', ''Two Sisters (The Jewish Angel)'' and ''The Duo'' (1915) *''Andromache'', '' The Melancholy of Departure'', ''

The Disquieting Muses ''The Disquieting Muses'' (in it, Le Muse inquietanti, 1916, 1917 or 1918) is a painting by the Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. ''The Disquieting Muses'' was painted during World War I, when De Chirico was in Ferrara. The Cast ...

'', '' Metaphysical Interior with Biscuits'' (1916) *'' Metaphysical Interior with Large Factory'' and ''The Faithful Servitor'' (both began in 1916), ''The Great Metaphysician'', ''Ettore e Andromaca'', ''Metaphysical Interior'', ''Geometric Composition with Landscape and Factory'' and ''Great Metaphysical Interior'' (1917) *''Metaphysical Muses'' and ''Hermetic Melancholy'' (1918) *''Still Life with Salami'' and ''The Sacred Fish'' (1919) *''Self-portrait'' (1920) *''Italian Piazza'', ''Maschere'' and ''Departure of the Argonauts'' (1921) *'' The Great Tower'' (1921) *''The Prodigal Son'' (1922) *''Florentine Still Life'' (c. 1923) *''The House with the Green Shutters'' (1924) *''The Great Machine'' (1925)

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single co ...

*''Au Bord de la Mer'', ''Le Grand Automate'', ''The Terrible Games'', ''Mannequins on the Seashore'' and ''The Painter'' (1925) *''La Commedia e la Tragedia'' (''Commedia Romana''), ''The Painter's Family'' and ''Cupboards in a Valley'' (1926) *''L’Esprit de Domination'', ''The Eventuality of Destiny (Monumental Figures)'', ''Mobili nella valle'' and ''The Archaeologists'' (1927) *''Temple et Forêt dans la Chambre'' (1928) *''Gladiatori (began in 1927)'', ''The Archaeologists IV (from the series Metamorphosis)'', ''The return of the Prodigal son I (from the series Metamorphosis)'' and ''Bagnante (Ritratto di Raissa)'' (1929) *''I fuochi sacri'' (for the ''Calligrammes'') 1929 *Illustrations from the book ''Calligrammes'' by

(1930) *''I Gladiatori (Combattimento)'' (1931) *''Milan Cathedral'', 1932 *''Cavalos a Beira-Mar'' (1932–1933) *''Cavalli in Riva al Mare'' (1934) *''La Vasca di Bagni Misteriosi'' (1936) *''The Vexations of The Thinker'' (1937) *''Self-portrait'' (1935–1937) *''Archeologi'' (1940) *Illustrations from the book ''L’Apocalisse'' (1941) *''Portrait of

Clarice Lispector Clarice Lispector (born Chaya Pinkhasivna Lispector ( uk, Хая Пінкасівна Ліспектор); December 10, 1920December 9, 1977) was a Ukrainian-born Brazilian novelist and short story writer. Her innovative, idiosyncratic works ex ...

'' (1945) *''Villa Medici – Temple and Statue'' (1945) *''Minerva'' (1947) *''Metaphysical Interior with Workshop'' (1948) *'' Venecia, Puente de Rialto'' *''Fiat'' (1950) *''Piazza d'Italia'' (1952) *''The Fall – Via Crucis'' (1947–54) *''Venezia, Isola di San Giorgio'' (1955) *''Salambò su un cavallo impennato'' (1956) *''Metaphysical Interior with Biscuits'' (1958) *''Piazza d'Italia'' (1962) *''Cornipedes'', (1963) *''La mia mano sinistra'', (1963), Chianciano Museum of Art *''Manichino'' (1964) *''Ettore e Andromaca'' (1966) *''The Return of Ulysses'', ''Interno Metafisico con Nudo Anatomico'' and ''Mysterious Baths – Flight Toward the Sea'' (1968) *''Il rimorso di Oreste'', ''La Biga Invincibile'' and ''Solitudine della Gente di Circo'' (1969) *''Orfeo Trovatore Stanco'', ''Intero Metafisico'' and ''Muse with Broken Column'' (1970) *''Metaphysical Interior with Setting Sun'' (1971) *''Sole sul cavalletto'' (1973) *''Mobili e rocce in una stanza'', ''La Mattina ai Bagni misteriosi'', ''Piazza d'Italia con Statua Equestre'', ''La mattina ai bagni misteriosi'' and ''Ettore e Andromaca'' (1973) *''Pianto d'amore – Ettore e Andromaca'' and ''The Sailors' Barracks'' (1974)

Writings

*''

'' (1929) *''The Memoirs of Giorgio De Chirico'', trans. Margaret Crosland (Da Capo Press 1994) *''Geometry of Shadows'' (poems), trans. Stefania Heim (Public Space Books 2019)

Films about

* ''Aenigma Est'' (1990) – Director: Dimitri Mavrikios; Screenplay: Thomas Moschopoulos, Dimitri Mavrikios * '' Giorgio de Chirico: Argonaut of the Soul'' (2010) – documentary film: Directors and screenplay: Kostas Anestis and George Lagdaris

References

Bibliography * *

External links

Metaphysical Art Archive

Giorgio de Chirico at MoMA
biography and image gallery
Chirico
at fondazionedechirico.org

"Il rapporto tra Giorgio de Chirico e l`Inghilterra"
. Rai Scuola

by Giorgio de Chirico in English translation
"REVOLUTIONARY ABSENCE: Giorgio de Chirico and the early Situationist International" by Ara H. Merjian
from Issue 67 of ''

Cabinet Magazine ''Cabinet Magazine'' is a quarterly, Brooklyn, New York-based, non-profit art and culture magazine established in 2000. ''Cabinet Magazine'' also operates an event and exhibition space in Brooklyn. In 2022, ''Cabinet'' transitioned its magazine t ...

'' (2019-20) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chirico, Giorgio 1888 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Italian painters Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Ballet designers Italian expatriates in Greece Italian male painters Greek artists 20th-century Greek painters Greek male painters Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium People from Volos People of Ligurian descent People of Sicilian descent School of Paris Surrealist artists Italian surrealist artists Greek surrealist artists Sibling artists Writers from Volos