La Carmen is a painting by Mario Tozzi from 1935. Tozzi (1895–1979) was an Italian modernist painter who studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and became a leading figure in twentieth-century European art.
After the First World War, Tozzi moved to Paris, where he founded the Groupe des Sept (also known as Les Italiens de Paris) alongside Giorgio de Chirico, Gino Severini, Massimo Campigli and others. This collective of Italian artists working in France became influential in interwar modernism. Tozzi returned to Rome in 1936 and went on to exhibit widely at the Venice Biennale across five decades. His work entered major international collections, including the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome.
About Mario Tozzi
Tozzi studied under the aegis of the Accademia di Bologna, where he encountered Giorgio Morandi and Osvaldo Licini. His career spanned the Parisian avant-garde movement and the Italian modernist tradition. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government and maintained a transatlantic artistic practice until his death in France in 1979.
Details
- Artist: Mario Tozzi
- Year: 1935
- Movement: Groupe des Sept; Italian modernism
- Collections: Centre Georges Pompidou, Pushkin Museum, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, and others
Frequently asked questions
Who was Mario Tozzi?
Mario Tozzi (1895–1979) was an Italian painter and a founder of the Groupe des Sept, an influential collective of Italian artists based in Paris. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale five times and received the Legion of Honour from France.
What was the Groupe des Sept?
The Groupe des Sept, also called Les Italiens de Paris, was founded by Tozzi with Giorgio de Chirico, Gino Severini, Massimo Campigli, Filippo De Pisis, Alberto Savinio and Renato Paresce. The group represented Italian modernism within the Parisian avant-garde between the wars.
When did Tozzi return to Italy?
Tozzi returned to Rome in 1936 after his formative years in Paris. He later moved back to France in 1971, where he remained until his death in 1979.
