Vittore Frattini

1937 Vittore Frattini was born on June 25th. 1952-1956 He attends the studio of his father, Angelo, who is a sculptor. He takes part in the ‘Biennale Città di Milano’ and the San Fedele Award. His mother, Maria, dies and he dedicates ‘il Fulmine’ to her. This large painting now hangs in the Musei Civici Art Gallery in Varese. 1957-1959 He receives his High School (Art Specialization) diploma and begins to study at the Brera Academy in Milan under the direction of Aldo Carpi and followed the classes of Domenico Cantatore. He prepares his first one-man show (Sala Mostre del Casinò) in Sanremo. He adopts an Abstract Expressionist style. He exhibits at the Grand Palais del Champs Elysées at the Paris ‘Salon’ at the 171st and 172nd Fine Arts exhibition and at the review of ‘Italian Artists’ at the Cescle Volnej. He participates in the San Fedele Award in Milan, at the Biennale dei Giovani in Gallarate and at the VIII Quadriennale in Rome. He wins the Lions Club first prize, first prize for the Nazionale Tortona and the Sesto Calende award. He opens a studio in Via Ciovasso in Milan. His friend and editor, Luciano Ferriani puts together some of his engravings in a folder presented by Aldo Patocchi. 1960-1964 Wins a prize at the Ina-Touring competition, Palazzo della Permanente, Milan and second prize at the Concorso Internazionale for students organized by the Brera Academy at the Galleria Nazionale in Rome. Receives his diploma from the Brera Academy and also wins the ‘Titta’ Prize and a scholarship for the fresco course in Arcumeggia given by Gianfilippo Usellini. Exhibits his work at the Galleria Spotorno in Milan with a presentation by Carlo Munari. Takes part in the ‘Panorama della Giovane Pittura Italiana’ show at the Eidac in Milan. Receives a gold medal at the first Concorso Nazionale in Campione d’ltalia. Exhibits at the Cassiopeia Gallery and the Viotti in Turin. Opens a studio in a loft in Via Po, Turin. Mario Lepore, Marziano Bernardi, Enotrio Mastrolonardo, Angelo Dragone, Giorgo Mascherpa, Piero Chiara and, above all, Luigi Carluccio write about his work. 1964-1968 Goes to Washington with Emilio Scanavino and others italian artists. Wins the Famiglia Artistica Prize at the Bignami award, Palazzo Reale, Milan and the Paladino Gallery prize at the Concorso Nazionale del Disegno in Palermo. Shows the first landscapes from an aircraft window and from on high at the Bùrdeke Gallery in Zurich (Switzerland) and the Flaviana Gallery in Locarno (Switzerland). Together with some friends, he promotes the Cun-Art review at which Morlotti, Guttuso, Fontana and Arp had been represented in the past. Exhibits in the United States and visits the major collections in Washington D.C. and New York. Is invited to the Engraving Biennale in Venice. Completes various printed etchings on Giorgio Upiglio’s presses; some of these are published by ‘Flora’ with poems by Enotrio Mastrolonardo and an introduction by Franco Russoli. Marries Silvana Viscardi with whom he will have three children: Sara, Massimo and Paolo. The Società Permanente in Milan presents an important one-man show with an introduction by Renato Guttuso. 1969-1974 Frattini recieves the second prize at the Concorso Nazionale dell’Affresco competition in Arcumeggia. With his father and some friends he helps to set up the Liceo Artistico Statale (art high school) in Varese where he is appointed headmaster. Meets Graham Sutherland in Menton and is greatly impressed by his work. His friend and editor Mario Pareti dedicates a monograph to Frattini written by Luigi Carluccio. Receives a buyers prize for the modern art gallery in Gallarate. Alberico Sala, Raffaele De Grada, Silvano Colombo and Renzo Modesti all write about his works on various occasions. Individual shows at the ‘art-mod’ gallery in Geneva and the Internazionale Arti Visive gallery in Milan. Completes some serigraphs which are published, with an introduction by Carlo Munari, in Rome. Wins the ‘Comune di Sovico’ prize at the ‘Arte – Rassegna’. Produces a lithograph for the publication ‘31 Maestri italiani’, Unesco edition, Paris. He and his family move to his studio in Sant’Ambrogio, Varese. Begins using the ‘mini – pocket’ which represents a new development in his creativity. Visits the studio of Henry Moore in Bishop’s Stortford (Great Britain) and makes contact with the new English art. The Biblioteca Comunale in Milan presents his ‘Antologica grafica’ and the mini-pocket edited by G. Upiglio with an introduction by Piero Chiara. Guido Ballo writes about him. 1975-1976 His father Angelo dies. Resigns from the headmastership of the Liceo Artistico Statale, Varese, and other public offices to dedicate himself more completely to his art. Individual show at the Montrasio gallery in Monza and Della Piazza gallery in Varese. Shows the first ‘lumen’ which has an immediate success with critics and public alike at the Begegnut Mit Internationaler in Zurich (Donati’s studio), at the tenth Premio Città di Gallarate and the ‘10 Italian painters’ exhibition at the Palace Pier in Toronto (Canada) with an introduction by Roberto Sanesi. 1976-1981 Wins the Comune di Milano prize at Cadorago Lario, Villa Olmo, Como. Shows his work at an exibition at the Montrasio Gallery in Monza. Takes part in the ‘Astrazione del Paesaggio’ review at the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, at the Frattini-Morandini-Moroni show in Piazza Gallery, Varese and at the Arte-Fiera in Bologna. One-man shows at the Museo Civico in Monza and the Orangerie Gallery in Milan. With Roberto Sanesi, he produces ‘La Parabola del bianco’ for the Annunciata and for the Vismara Gallery in Milan. Invited to participate at the Triennale dell’Incisione at the Permanente in Milan. Creates a ‘Spazio Ambiente’ with A. Bertolio during the Premio Internazionale L. Russolo, Varese. Own show at the Falchi Gallery in Milan. The publishing company Cortina produces a monograph on Frattini (Milan, 1981) with a preface by Miklos Varga. 1981-1984 Produces a multiple for Cortina publishers and a serigraph etching ‘Open Here’ for Manfredi Jewels, Varese, New York. ‘Una tecnica - 3 epoche. Incisori Italiani’, Ghiggini Gallery, Varese. In 1982, publishes ‘Frammenti Lirici’ together with his friend and poet Miklos Varga, introduction by Vincenzo Accame and, in 1983, ‘Frammenti Lirici No. 2’ with a presentation by Alberto Veca, published by Cortina, Milan and Lugano. Gives a very important one-man exhibition at Cern (Centre for Nuclear Research) in Geneva and at the ‘Maestri della Grafica’ review on the occasion of the fifth centenary celebrations of the birth of Raphael in Tokyo. The Blu-Art Gallery organises a ‘meet the artist’ session with presentations by Gianfranco Maffina, Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, Silvano Colombo and Miklos Varga. Is invited to exhibit at the Orangerie in Berlin and at the ‘Artisti Italiani’ exhibition at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. 1984-1988 One-man show at the Musei Civici di Villa Mirabello. Takes part in the ‘Città di Monza’ National Painting Exhibition at Villa Reale. Exhibits at the Galleria Vittoria in Washington, D.C. In 1985, in a new illustrated series by Scheiwiller Publishers, no. 44 ‘I Lumen’ comes out, with texts by Vanni Scheiwiller and Vittore Frattini and in the ‘Proposte’ series No. 27 ‘Open Here No. 2’ with texts by Gian Alberto Dell’Acqua and Giuseppe Panza di Biumo. One-man show at the Mosaico Gallery in Chiasso (Switzerland) in 1986. Is invited to the first retrospective show of the Premio Diomira. Holds a conference on the occasion of his ‘Mostra Antologica’ at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Takes part in the ‘Poesia per la Vita - 20 Artisti per i Villaggi SOS’ review at the S. Fedele Gallery in Milan, at the Grafica Internazionale in the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino. Anthological exhibition (1956-1988) at the Civica Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Gallarate in May 1988, the Italian Painters show in Moscow. 1988-1999 Exhibits ‘I Lumen’ show in the Chiostro di Voltorre, curator Giuseppe Panza di Biumo. Works on ‘Grande Frammento’- exhibition at the Teatro Verdi in Milan. Del Pezzo, Frattini, Hisiao - Villa Ponti, Varese. Silvano Falchi’s Artists, Albertini Palace, Forlì. The Artist and the Book - Museum of Modern Art, New York. Completes various mosaics on public and private buildings including the mosaic-sculpture produced with Luigi Veronesi. Exhibition at the Castello di Masnago, Varese. Is invited to the Miart in Milan and to the Ricter Gallery in Tel Aviv. ‘In Masolino’s footsteps, Branda Castiglioni Palace by Gian Alberto Dell'acqua end Pietro C. Marani. Diodona Farmhouse, Malnate by Luciano Caramel. One-man show at Georgetown University, Washington and at Charles Augustus Center, Le Balze - Villa, Fiesole (Florence). With his art-exhibition ‘In Masolino’s realm’ by Gian Alberto Dell’Acqua and Pietro C. Marani, Frattini opens ‘Gothic Space’, Modern Art Gallery, Castiglioni del Monteruzzo Palace (12th c.), Italy. Presentation of the monograph ‘Frattini, Dipinti’, published by Mondadori, at the Circolo della Stampa, Milan. A large personal exhibition at the Casino in Sanremo, catalogue published by Mondadori. Exhibition at Palazzo Cerio and Capricorno Art Gallery, Capri. “Lumen” exhibition at Schubert Gallery, Milan 1999 and the Alda Capparelli Gallery in London. 2000-2011 On December 2000, he displays his “Globi” (Globes) at the Voltorre Cloister. On May 2001 his works are hosted in the Spazio Cappellini, Milan, as well as at the Adamar Fine Art, Miami. In the same year, the exposition “Omaggio a Enzo Pagani” (Homage to Enzo Pagani), at the Museum of Modern Art, Castellanza. Following the exposition “Arte in Italia” (Art in Italy), at the Parisi Museum, Maccagno and “Materia e luce” (Matter and light), at Primaluce, Milan, in 2002. In 2001 he performs the sculpture in stainless steel “Omaggio a Giovanni Borghi” (Homage to Giovanni Borghi), which is then placed at the Stadium Square in Varese. In 2002, another big sculpture in stainless steel “Grande V” (Big V) is realized for Malpensa airport, where the first lot “Grande Fontana per S. Antonio Ticino” (Big Fountain for St. Anthony Ticino) is displayed as well. A monograph on the artist is published by Skira Editions and introduced by Giuseppe Panza of Biumo and Philippe Daverio at the Stelline Foundation, Milan, in 2003. He displays at the exhibition “Un secolo d’arte a Varese” (a century of art in Varese), hosted in the Floriano Bodini Civic Museum by Flaminio Gualdoni. He realizes the graphic collection “Voli 2003” (Flights 2003) with a Mario Luzi’s text. He displays his glass sculptures at the Blanchard Gallery, Milan, in 2004 and then at “Brera anni Sessanta e dintorni” (Brera in the Sixties or thereabouts), Biella. In 2004/2005, it’s up to Milan with Chriestie’s auction for Ail (the Italian association against leukaemia). In 2005 he’s awarded the Lumen Claro Prize by the Lions Club of Varese Prealpi. Under the supervision of Angela Madesani, in 2009 he exposes his recent sculptures in the “cortile della Seta” (Silk Yard) at the UBI and his last glass works at the “Il Milione” Gallery in Milan. The Province of Varese performs a wide anthological show by Philippe Daverio at the Villa Recalcati.