Portrait of Virgilio Marchi
Photograph
ca. 1929 (photographed)
ca. 1929 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The sitter in this photograph, Virgilio Marchi, was an Italian architect in the second wave of Futurists. He subscribed to the values outlined by Antonio Sant’Elia, and wrote his own ‘Manifesto of Futurist Architecture’ in 1920, shunning the classical past in favour of the novelty of advancing modes of transport and construction. He worked on theatre and film sets and was one of a group of artists associated with Noi, a review edited by Enrico Pampolini.
Marchi’s signature on the bottom right of the photograph suggests that this image was intended as a promotional object for fans. Marchi looks determinedly out of the photograph, resembling a 1930s gangster. The film star-style presentation and dramatic shadow underline Marchi’s connections with movements in 1930s culture – film, futurism and design.
Marchi’s signature on the bottom right of the photograph suggests that this image was intended as a promotional object for fans. Marchi looks determinedly out of the photograph, resembling a 1930s gangster. The film star-style presentation and dramatic shadow underline Marchi’s connections with movements in 1930s culture – film, futurism and design.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Portrait of Virgilio Marchi (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Photograph |
| Brief description | 20thC, Anonymous photograph of Virgilio Marchi ca.1929 |
| Physical description | Photograph mounted on green card |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Virgilio Marchi/ Roma 26 April 1929/ VII (Signed by the sitter in black ink at the bottom right of the image.) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Kineton Parkes in 1938 |
| Object history | This photograph is from a collection bequeathed by William Kineton Parkes in 1938. Kineton Parkes was a novelist, art historian and librarian, who was best known for his writing on sculpture. He sent out questionnaires to sculptors in the 1920s, which are now held in the Archive of Art and Design. This photograph is one of many which were sent to Kineton Parkes by the sculptors he approached to complete the questionnaire. |
| Summary | The sitter in this photograph, Virgilio Marchi, was an Italian architect in the second wave of Futurists. He subscribed to the values outlined by Antonio Sant’Elia, and wrote his own ‘Manifesto of Futurist Architecture’ in 1920, shunning the classical past in favour of the novelty of advancing modes of transport and construction. He worked on theatre and film sets and was one of a group of artists associated with Noi, a review edited by Enrico Pampolini. Marchi’s signature on the bottom right of the photograph suggests that this image was intended as a promotional object for fans. Marchi looks determinedly out of the photograph, resembling a 1930s gangster. The film star-style presentation and dramatic shadow underline Marchi’s connections with movements in 1930s culture – film, futurism and design. |
| Bibliographic reference | Kate Best and Sophie Leighton, 'Interwar photography at the V&A: modernism and more' Apollo May 2006 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 5796-1938 |
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| Record created | August 10, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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