Luigi Filippo Tibertelli de Pisis (Ferrara, Italy, 1896 – Milan, Italy, 1956) 

 
Filippo de Pisis was born in 1896 in Ferrara into a noble family. He graduated in Humanities, but in 1916, guided by Odoardo Domenichini and influenced by Carrà, he began to explore the art of painting. 

His early works were influenced by the so-called “metaphysical” style. In the following years, in Rome, he met Armando Spadini, who encouraged him to paint without being bound by fixed artistic theories and techniques. 

From 1925, he lived for several years in Paris, where he particularly admired the works of Bonnard, Vuillard, and Matisse, while studying the masterpieces of Monet and Sisley. In the French city, he reached his full artistic awareness, clearly exemplified by his most famous works.  

In 1926, Carrà presented one of his solo exhibitions in Milan, followed by another in Paris presented by de Chirico. 

During this prolific period, he continued to showcase his works in Italy while also writing articles for several Italian newspapers, such as "L'Italia Letteraria" and other smaller magazines. Meanwhile, he joined the Circolo degli Artisti Italiani in Paris, which also welcomed de Chirico, Savinio, Campigli, Tozzi, and Pozzati. 

In the 1930s, he travelled to London three times, deepening his relationships with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. 

After these experiences, he returned to Italyin 1939. From that point onward, his art was celebrated through many exhibitions. In 1943, he moved to Venice, where he immersed himself in the city's artistic context.  

Between 1947 and 1948, he returned to Paris accompanied by his pupil Silvan Gastone Ghigi. Upon his return to Italy the following year, he began to manifest the first symptoms of the illness that would tragically lead to his death. The Venice Biennale honoured him in 1950 with an exhibition hall featuring thirty of his works. 

From that time, his health started to decline rapidly. He was admitted to the hospital, where he underwent electroshock treatment. Unfortunately, this resulted in him becoming semi-paralysed and forced him to abandon painting. Later, he was diagnosed with polyneuropathy.  

Between 1954 and 1955, as his illness worsened, he was taken to the Villa Turro psychiatric clinic in Milan. 

He died in Milan in 1956. 

Copyright the artist. Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano