Renzo Fenci

Renzo G. Fenci (1914–1999) was an Italian-American artist and arts educator, best known for his bronze sculpture. He worked in 1942 as a New Deal artist with the United States Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.

Renzo Fenci
Born(1914-11-18)November 18, 1914
Florence, Italy
DiedDecember 31, 1999(1999-12-31) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materRoyal Institute of Art,
Instituto d'Arte Firenze

Biography

Fenci was born in Florence, Italy on 18 November 1914.[1] At a young age he went to study art at the Royal Institute of Art.[1] He received a master's degree in 1932 from Instituto d'Arte Firenze (Art Institute of Florence) and studied with sculptors Libero Andriotti and Bruno Innocenti.[2][3]

He emigrated to New York City, New York around 1937 or 1938, due to the change in politics in Europe and the rise in Fascism.[1][4] Fenci lived in New York City, New York and Madison, Wisconsin before settling down in Pullman, Washington in order to teach fine art at Washington State College.[1]

He was commissioned in 1942 by the United States Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later known as The Section of Fine Arts) to create art.[5] These commissions were for the creation of a series of terra-cotta bas reliefs for a post office in Easley, South Carolina, entitled “Cultivation of Corn”.[5] Originally he planned to create six bas-relief panels, but the Section of Painting and Sculpture would only pay for three panels and there was much difficulty in the completion of this job.[5]

By 1944, Fenci moved to Santa Barbara, California. Between 1947 until 1954, he was taught at Santa Barbara College (now called University of California, Santa Barbara).[2][6] From 1955 until 1977, Fenci was the head of the sculpture department at Otis Art Institute (now named Otis College of Art and Design).[7]

Fenci has work in the many public art museum collections including at the Uffizi museum,[8] and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[9]

Fenci died at the age of 85 in Los Angeles, California on December 31, 1999.[1]

Personal life

He was married to Jeanne Lyons Foster in Santa Barbara.[7] Fenci had one son and two stepdaughters, his son is also a sculptor.[4][6]

See also

References
  1. Hughes, Edan Milton (1989). Artists in California, 1786-1940. ISBN 978-0961611217.
  2. Register - University of California, Volume 1. 1. University of California Press. 1951. p. 11 – via Google Books.
  3. "Renzo FENCI (1914-?)". Artprice.com. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  4. Stevens, Stephanie (2017). "Piero Fenci". Charm East Texas. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  5. "Easley, SC New Deal Art". WPA Murals. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  6. "Santa Barbara County, California Obituaries". obitcentral.com. Ursus Partners, LLC. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  7. "Obituary, Stephanie Foster Burkard". The Santa Barbara Independent. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  8. "Ricerca - Schede di catalogo". catalogo.uffizi.it. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  9. ""Fenci, Renzo 1914-"". Smithsonian Institution.
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