Anselmo Govi
Anselmo Govi (Reggio Emilia, 1893 - 1953) was an Italian painter and decorator, a member of the late Art Nouveau school known as Italian Art Nouveau and Liberty.
Biography
Govi was an active participant in the cultural and social life of Reggio during the 1920s and 1930s. He was Director of the Art Institute Gaetano Chierici and President of the Cooperative of Painters and Decorators of Reggio Emilia. The City of Reggio Emilia dedicated a street to him.
He belonged to an ancient family from the Gallo-italic territories. The surname Govi is the Romanesque version of the French Medieval surname "Le Govic" or "Le Goff", also known as Gove, Govier or Govi. His family originated in the Franco-Provençal area and moved later to the Emilia and Piedmont regions.
Anselmo Govi was the maternal uncle of Giacomo Benevelli.
The ability and style of Govi can be appreciated in his greatest work, the dome of the Ariosto Theatre in Reggio Emilia. The fresco painted in 1927 in Liberty Style or Italian Art Nouveau, depict scenes from the Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. Govi paid tribute to his illustrious fellow citizen Ludovico Ariosto decorating the ledge with the first verses of the Ariosto's poem.
During the twenties, Govi painted the frescoes adorning Palazzo Ancini in Reggio Emilia now home of Municipal offices. Of particular interest are the ceilings and the main staircase of the sixteenth-century palace decorated by Govi with an elaborated Allegory of Charity.
Anselmo Govi is also responsible for the frescoes and mosaics that adorn the facade of the Suburban Cemetery of Reggio Emilia. The Cemetery was built in 1808 and designed by Domenico Marchelli (1764-1832). The facade (1932-35) was conceived by the architect Prospero Sorgato with contribution by Govi.
Other paintings by Anselmo Govi are located in the Rocca Estense which now houses the Museum of the Agriculture in San Martino in Rio. Dated 1935 are the frescoes inspired by Venetian Renaissance painting which represents Christ and twelve angels. The fresco adorn the presbytery of the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin in Montecchio Emilia. In 1937 he painted the frescoes of the vaults, nave and apse of the Church of St. Peter the Apostle in Carignano, Parma. The frescoes depict episodes from the life of St. Peter.
Paintings by Anselmo Govi are permanently exhibited at Palazzo Vezzani-Pratonieri (16th century) in via San Carlo in Reggio Emilia and in the Church of St. Peter (Reggio Emilia).
In 1980 the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia organized a major retrospective exhibition dedicated to Govi. Titled Anselmo Govi: Painter and Decorator, the exhibition was accompanied by an illustrated catalogue edited by G. Berti, T. Storchi, N. Squarza (published by Musei Civici Reggio Emilia).