Most of the sculptures exhibited in this room come from the private
collection of the Neoclassical sculptor Cincinnato Baruzzi. Baruzzi was
born in Imola, near Bologna.
He studied first at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna then moved to
Rome where he became one of the favorite pupils of the
greatest European sculptor of the time, Antonio Canova. After Canova's
death Baruzzi took over the management of his master's study.
In 1831, when he was offered the chair of Sculpture at the Academy of
Fine Arts in Bologna, he left Rome. On display in this room are some
small-scale copies of famous classical sculptures. The Apollo in room
no.16, derived from a prototype by Canova, is part of the same
collection. Baruzzi's style, sharp and neat, is strongly
influenced by Canova's.
One of the most successful sculptors of the Restoration, Baruzzi worked
for very important foreign purchasers, such as certain European royal
families, as well as for the Italian market. His character of
cosmopolitan artist emerges from his personal correspondence and from
the records of his frequent journeys to Paris, London and Rome: places
where he made contacts with that aristocratic and bourgeois high
society which formed the core of his clientèle. In 1878 the
Council of Bologna became the sole heir of Baruzzi's patrimony. In his
will Baruzzi requested that part of his wealth had to be invested in
the establishment of a prize for talented young artists.
His villa on the Osservanza hill was sold, while the rest of his
possessions were auctioned or divided among the Bolognese public
cultural institutions such as the Archiginnasio Municipal Library, the
Collezioni Comunali d'Arte and the Modern Art Gallery. One of the first
artists awarded with the Baruzzi Prize was Giorgio
Kienerk, in 1892 with his work, L'anguilla, now
visible in room 18.
