Roberto Longhi

Roberto Longhi was a man who loved art.

He studied many famous painters.

He looked at old paintings very closely. He even found works of art that were lost. He wrote books about these artists.

He taught at big schools in Italy. He also started a magazine with his wife. It still runs today!

After he died, people started a group to help others. This group uses his books and photos. They help new students study art in Florence. He helped us learn about the beauty in art.

Roberto Longhi was a famous Italian art historian. An art historian is a person who studies art.

He was born in 1890 in Alba. Longhi loved to look at old paintings. He studied many great artists. He focused on painters like Caravaggio and Piero della Francesca.

Longhi was very good at his work. He traveled across Europe to see art. He even found lost masterpieces. One example was two panels from a Giotto altarpiece. He wrote many books to share what he learned. He also taught at big schools in Bologna and Florence.

Longhi worked with his wife, Lucia Lopresti. Together, they started a magazine called Paragone. This magazine still runs today! After he died in 1970, people started a special group. It is called the Fondazione Roberto Longhi. This group uses his books and his art collection. They give money to help new scholars study art in Florence. His wife later left their home to this group too.

Caption: The place where Longhi is buried in Florence.

Roberto Longhi was a famous Italian art historian and curator. He spent his life studying how people make art. Longhi was very good at looking closely at paintings. He focused on great artists like Caravaggio and Piero della Francesca. His work helped many people understand these masters better. People still study his ideas about art today.

Longhi had a very busy way of working. He traveled across Europe on a Grand Tour from 1920 to 1922. He went to places like the Borghese Gallery in Rome. There, he looked at paintings with his own eyes. This helped him find lost masterpieces. He even found two panels from a Giotto altarpiece. He also wrote many books and essays about different painters.

Longhi began his career in the early 1900s. He was born in Alba, Piedmont, in December 1890. He studied with teachers named Pietro Toesca and Adolfo Venturi. In 1914, he became an editor for a journal called L'Arte. Between 1912 and 1917, he wrote about many artists. These writings were sometimes very academic. Other times, they were very radical.

He held many important jobs during his life. Longhi was a professor at Bologna University starting in 1935. Later, he also taught in Florence. He curated big art shows, like one in Milan in 1951. This show was about Caravaggio and his followers. He also wrote a famous book about Piero della Francesca in 1928. This book is still called a classic today.

Longhi shared his love for art with his wife, Lucia Lopresti. In 1950, they started a magazine called Paragone. This magazine is still being printed today. After Longhi died in 1970, people made the Fondazione Roberto Longhi. This group uses his books and his art collection. They give money to help new scholars study art in Florence. His wife later gave their home, Villa Il Tasso, to this group.

Roberto Longhi was a prominent Italian academic, art historian, and curator. He spent his career analyzing the history of painting and the lives of great artists. Longhi is best known for his deep studies of the painters Caravaggio and Piero della Francesca. His work helped redefine how scholars understand specific periods of art. Through his books and exhibitions, he brought lost masterpieces back into the light. He transformed the way people look at the history of Italian art.

Longhi used a method of direct observation to conduct his research. Between 1920 and 1922, he embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. This journey allowed him to view many artworks in person. For example, he studied works at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. This first-hand viewing led to the rediscovery of lost masterpieces. He even identified two panels from a Giotto altarpiece. By looking closely at the physical paintings, he could trace the styles of different artists.

His scholarly work focused on several distinct types of artists and movements. He was a leading expert on Caravaggio and his many followers. He wrote several important texts on this subject, including Quesiti caravaggeschi from 1928 to 1934. He also wrote Ultimi studi caravaggeschi in 1943. Longhi also focused on the Quattrocento, which is the 1400s. In 1928, he published a monograph on Piero della Francesca. He argued that Piero was the most important painter of that era. This book is now considered a classic of art-historical literature.

Longhi's career began in the early 20th century through various academic roles. He was born in Alba, Piedmont, in December 1890. He studied under Pietro Toesca in Turin and Adolfo Venturi in Rome. In 1914, he became the book reviews editor for the journal L'Arte. Between 1912 and 1917, he published essays in both L'Arte and La Voce. His writing in L'Arte was academic in style. However, his writing in La Voce was considered very radical. He eventually became a professor at Bologna University in 1935 and later taught in Florence.

Throughout his life, Longhi held significant positions and received high honors. He curated many major exhibitions, such as the 1951 Mostra di Caravaggio in Milan. He also organized shows regarding Bolognese painting in 1948 and Lombard art in 1953 and 1958. His influence was recognized by the Italian government. He was named a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1961. Later, in 1969, he received the Knight Grand Cross of the same order. These honors reflect his massive impact on Italian culture.

During the Second World War, Longhi was involved in complex situations regarding art. He provided advice to an art dealer named Eugenio Ventura in Florence. Ventura was investigated for his role in exchanging pictures confiscated by the Nazi looting organization. This group was known as the ERR, or the Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce. Longhi also advised Count Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi until 1945. These events highlight the difficult role historians played during times of conflict and theft.

Longhi's legacy continues through several lasting institutions and publications. In 1950, he and his wife, Lucia Lopresti, co-founded the magazine Paragone. This bi-monthly magazine on art and literature is still running today. After his death on June 3, 1970, the Fondazione Roberto Longhi was created. This foundation was built using his personal art collection, books, and photographs. It provides grants to help scholars study art in Florence. After Lucia Lopresti died, she left their home, Villa Il Tasso, to the foundation.