Annigoni, Pietro (1910-1988)Born in Milan, Annigoni studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he had his first exhibition in 1932.
He helped to found a group of modern realist painters, who exhibited in Milan in 1947 and then in Rome and Florence.
In 1950s he worked in England and exhibited in London, Paris and New York.
His technique was unusual for a twentieth century artist in that he practiced the methods of the old masters, painting mainly in tempera.
Annigoni’s best known portraits include members of European royal families – Queen Elizabeth II (1955 and 1970) and Prince Philip (1957) as well as other prominent figures, such as President Kennedy (1961) and Dame Margot Fonteyn.
His religious paintings include altarpiece and from 1960s, numerous frescos, notably the cycle of the life of Christ in the Church of S Michele Arcangelo near Florence.
In 1977, he published his autobiography, An Artist’s Life.
Annigoni, Pietro (1910-1988)
