Pietro Annigoni

Pietro Annigoni was one of the leading artists in Italy during the mid-20th century. A member of the group known as the “Modern Painters of Reality”, he was a master portraitist, capable of capturing not only the faces of the men and women of his time but also their souls. From the very beginning of his artistic career, he was known for a style that remained faithful to reality.
He employed ancient painting techniques inherited from the Renaissance, and with his famous oil tempera method, he developed an artistic path in stark contrast to the styles of Modernism and Postmodernism that were popular during his lifetime. He remained devoted to Realism until his death.
Although he is often remembered as “the painter of queens” for the portraits commissioned by the British royal family, he had a profound inclination toward depicting “the less affluent,” whose outer appearance and inner spirit he portrayed with striking fidelity.
Bernard Berenson once wrote of him: “Pietro Annigoni is not only the greatest painter of this century, but he is also capable of competing on equal terms with the greatest painters of all centuries.” And further: “…he will go down in art history as the challenger of a dark age…”