Silpa Bhirasri (; ; ), born Corrado Feroci (15 September 1892 – 14 May 1962), was an Italian-born Thai

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He is considered the father of modern art in Thailand and was instrumental in the founding of today's Silpakorn University.

Life

Born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, he studied at the Royal Art Academy of Florence and taught there from 1914 to 1923. Feroci was invited to

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

in 1923 to teach

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

sculpture at the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Palace Affairs. He was appointed as a sculptor in 1924 on a three-year contract for 800

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

per month. In 1943, he founded what later became Silpakorn University, the University of Fine Arts. When Italy surrendered to the Allies during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Feroci changed his name and became a Thai national in 1944 to avoid arrest by the occupying

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese army. Previously estranged from his wife in Italy, in his later years he married one of his Thai students. Feroci / Silpa was the designer and sculptor of many of Bangkok's best known monuments, including Democracy Monument, Victory Monument, and the statue of King Rama I at Memorial Bridge. He wrote numerous textbooks on art, including Theory of Colour (1943), Theory of Composition (1944), An Aid to Arts and English-Siamese Glossary (1942-1944).

Personal life

In 1918, Bhirasri (then still Feroci) married Paola Angelini. However, in 1921, he began living with Fanny Viviani, with whom he later had two children – Isabella and Romano. In 1949, after his fourth trip to Italy, he separated from Viviani, who stayed in Florence, and started living with Malini Kenny, who was 37 years younger than him. In 1959, he married Malini in a civil ceremony and lived with her until his death.

Death

Silpa Bhirasri died in Bangkok on May 14, 1962, from a heart attack following surgery at Siriraj Hospital. He is buried in the Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in the southern suburb of

, Galluzzo (

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Tribute

Bhirasri’s birthday, 15 September, is observed each year in Thailand as Silpa Bhirasri Day. In the courtyard of Silpakorn University, students kneel and leave offerings at his statue, including flower wreaths and plates of spaghetti, in tribute to Silpa Bhirasri’s Italian heritage. The Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art (BIMA) was established in 1974 following years of advocacy by art patrons and artists committed to fulfilling Bhirasri’s vision after his passing. In 1992, Thailand Post issued a commemorative stamp to mark the 100th anniversary of Silpa Bhirasri. In 2016, he was featured as a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

on what would have been his 124th birthday. The historic mansion where the sculptor lived has been open to visitors since 2017, offering guided tours, and is where some of Thailand's most famous sculptures and monuments were created. A modern art museum in Bangkok is named after Silpa Bhirasri.

Partial list of works

* Democracy Monument at Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok 1939. * Victory Monument at Ratchathewi district, Bangkok 1942. * Prathom Rajanusorn

King Rama I Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asce ...

statue at Phra Phutta Yodfa Bridge, Bangkok 1929. * Monument Thao Suranari in

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima (, ) is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Isan, Northeastern Thailand and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km (1 ...

1934. * Royal Memorial King Rama VI at

Lumphini Park Lumphini Park (, , ), also Lumpini or Lumpinee, is a 360 Rai (area), rai () park in Bangkok, Thailand. The park offers rare open public space, trees and playgrounds in the Thai capital and contains an artificial lake where visitors can rent ...

, Bangkok 1942. * Don Chedi Monument, Don Chedi,

Suphanburi Province Suphan Buri (, ) located in the central region of Thailand, is one of the country's 76 provinces (จังหวัด, changwat), the first-level administrative divisions. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Uthai Thani, Chai ...

1959. Sitthidet Saenghiran, Pakorn Lekson and Sanan Silakorn assisted in creation of the 1½ life size statue. * The Royal Monument of

King Taksin King Taksin the Great (, , ) or the King of Thonburi (, ; ; Teochew dialect, Teochew: Dên Chao; 17 April 1734 – 7 April 1782) was the only King of Thailand, king of the Thonburi Kingdom that ruled Thailand from 1767 to 1782. He had been an ar ...

Wongwian Yai, Bangkok 1950. *

Phutthamonthon Phutthamonthon (, ; also spelled Buddha Monthon; from Sanskrit ''Buddha Máṇḍala'', 'Buddha's sphere') is a Buddhist park in Salaya subdistrict of Phutthamonthon district, Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. The park is situated just outsid ...

Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Pathom (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's only Bhikkhuni temple W ...

(west of Bangkok), 1976, considered to be the tallest free-standing Buddha statue in the world.

References

External links

History of Thai postage stamps

Thai Artists

Silpakorn University Journal biography of Silpa Bhirasri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhirasri, Silpa 1892 births 1962 deaths Silpa Bhirasri Silpa Bhirasri 20th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors Silpa Bhirasri Silpa Bhirasri Silpa Bhirasri 20th-century Italian male artists