Giacomo Balla (1871 – 1958)
Italian painter Giacomo Balla was born in Turin. He was, art teacher and poet best known as a key proponent of Futurism. By age 20, his interest in visual art had developed to such a level that he decided to study painting at local academies, and several of his early works were shown at exhibitions. Following academic studies at the University of Turin, Balla moved to Rome in 1895.
For several years he worked in Rome as an illustrator, caricaturist and portrait painter. Around 1902, he taught Divisionist techniques to Umberto Boccioni and Gino Severini. Influenced by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Giacomo Balla adopted the Futurism style, creating a pictorial depiction of light, movement and speed. He was a signatory of the Futurist Manifesto in 1910.
In 1913 Balla participated in the Erste deutsche Herbstsalon at Der Sturm gallery in Berlin and in an exhibition at the Rotterdamsche Kunstkring in Rotterdam. In 1914 he experimented with sculpture for the first time and showed it in the Prima esposizione libera futurista at the Galleria Sprovieri, Rome. He also designed and painted Futurist furniture and designed Futurist “antineutral” clothing.
During World War I, Balla’s studio became a meeting place for young artists. In 1935, he was made a member of Rome’s Accademia di San Luca.
A List of important works of the Artist. Visit the gallery with large-size images, date, size, location and technical information.
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