Silvano Campeggi

Silvano Campeggi (Florence, 1923-2018) attended the Art School and was pupil of Ottone Rosai and Ardengo Soffici. He started his career by illustrating books and journals for several graphic companies. During the post-war, he moved to Rome where he entered in the studio of the painter Tamburi; here he met Martinati, the post designer. He has been soon called by American film companies because of his talent. From 1945 to 1972 he worked for the major American film companies: Metro Goldwin Mayer, Universal, Paramount, RKO, Dear Film, creating more than 3000 posters: Gone with the Wind, An American in Paris, Singin’in the Rain, West Side Story.
In the 1970’s Campeggi came back to Florence where he was commissioned by the Carabinieri to produce five large-scale paintings of Risorgimento battles and a portrait of Salvo  d’Acquisto, hero of the Resistance. In 1975 this portrait was used as commemorative stamp by Poste Italiane.
In 1988 the City of Florence devoted to him a solo exhibition at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi: “Il cinema nei manifesti di Silvano Campeggi” and in 1995 Promo Immagine Cinema organized a personal exposition of his works at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, with his most important original posters and a series of portraits of actors and principal directors that he has known. In 1997 he created 35 paintings inspired by the Calcio Storico Fiorentino, then set up in a exhibition at Palagio di Parte Guelfa (Florence) and in Lyon. (France). In 1998 at the Pioppi Castle, Enrico Crispolti presented his exposition”Sogni attaccati ai muri”, enriched by sketches, posters and portraits of people he has known during his career. In 1999 the City of Florence appointed him Magnifico Messere of Calcio in Costume.
In 2000 the San Frediano district of Florence hosted him with a cultural and social exhibition “Nano torna in San Frediano. Omaggio al Maestro Silvano Campeggi”: San Frediano shoopkeepers exposed a Campeggi’s work to incentivise the district requalification. In the same year, he received the Fiorino d’Oro, it’s the recognition that the City of Florence to those who contributed to make the town great. In 2001 the Comune of Bagno a Ripoli, town where the artist lives, mounted a showing of 50 selected works dedicated to the American Cinema and published the volume “C’era una volta il cinema”. In Modena has been held the exhibition “Il Mito”. In Siena he created the “Drappellone” for the “Palio dell’Assunta” and at the same time, has been organised an exposition of his works at Museo di Santa Maria della Scala: “Pittura in diretta: È Palio”.
In 2002 he created a murales in the cinema of Lastra a Signa (Florence), the portraits of the journalist Luigi M. Personè and opened the exhibition “Il cinema ritrovato: Omaggio a Charlie Chaplin”.

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