Ferdinando Vichi

1875-1945

He was born into a noble family in Florence in 1875. From his childhood he was passionate about art, and soon entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence under the guidance of Rivalta and Zocchi, where he won numerous prizes.

There are many portraits of important characters made by him on commission, including three American presidents, McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft, and also the Queen of Baroda. He also made numerous monuments to the fallen in many Italian towns.

His sculpture there is a passionate skill and a harmonizing force that dominates the forms, both in the busts and in the tiny clay sketches. When the subject is unique – a bust, a whole figure – we find the harmony in the pose itself, often of intimate and daily moments.