Tetti di Milano (Rooftops of Milan) is a 1938 painting by Anselmo Bucci, the Italian painter and printmaker born in Fossombrone in 1887. The work captures an urban perspective of Milan during a period when Bucci divided his time between the city and Paris.
By the late 1930s, Bucci had moved beyond the Neoclassical rigidity of his earlier Novecento Italiano phase toward greater expressive freedom in his approach. This shift is evident in his treatment of the Milan roofscape, a subject that allowed him to explore both architectural structure and atmospheric effect. The painting documents the industrial and residential texture of the city’s skyline during the interwar decades.
About Anselmo Bucci
Bucci trained at the Brera Academy in Milan before moving to Paris in 1906, where he exhibited Symbolist and Fauvist-influenced works at the Salon des Art Décoratifs and Salon des Indépendants. He joined the Novecento Italiano movement in 1922, becoming one of its founding members of the “Sette pittori del Novecento Italiano” and participating in the Venice Biennale in 1920 and 1924. During the 1930s, his practice evolved toward greater painterly freedom while maintaining engagement with urban and landscape subjects.
Details
- Artist: Anselmo Bucci (1887–1955)
- Year: 1938
- Medium: Painting
- Subject: Milan roofscape
- Movement: Novecento Italiano
Frequently asked questions
Who was Anselmo Bucci?
Anselmo Bucci was an Italian painter and printmaker trained at the Brera Academy. He exhibited in Paris from 1907 onward before returning to Italy in 1922 to join the Novecento Italiano movement, one of its founding members.
What is Novecento Italiano?
Novecento Italiano was a post-war artistic movement centered on a return to order and Neoclassical principles. Bucci participated in the movement from 1922 and exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1920 and 1924.
What does the painting show?
The work depicts the rooflines of Milan, capturing the urban architectural character of the city during the 1930s when Bucci maintained a studio there alongside his Paris residence.