Lo Studio Simi
The untouched studio of Italian painter Filadelfo Simi (1843-1923) and his daughter Nera Simi (1890-1987).
SIMILAR STUDIO MUSEUMS...
- Museo Sorolla Studio - purpose built home and studio of prolific Spanish artist Joquin Sorolla (1863-1923).
- Hortamuseum - the open plan home of Art Nouveau proponent Victor Horta (1861-1947).
- Astruptunet - a home, studio and farm where the Norwegian painter Nikolai Astrup (1880-1928) lived and worked for fifteen years.
Feature List
- Guided Tours
Filadelfo Simi was a painter of the late Macchiaioli period. His studio, built to his own design in 1890 in Stazzema, Alta Versilia, was passed on to its current owners almost completely untouched both in structure and furnishings.
The painter used to spend long, peaceful periods of time in the studio as an alternative to the more intense periods of his Florentine lifestyle. Here he also found the inspiration for many of his masterpieces. These works included the landscapes, models and real-life situations of the surrounding countryside – in line with the Macchiaioli trend of “en plein air" painting.
Of Filadelfo Simi's two children, Renzo (1899-1943) and Nera, it was the latter who continued her father's art, both in his painting style and in teaching at their eminent Florentine studio in via Tripoli and in the Studio in Stazzema. She continued to teach the Gérôme (1824-1923) method which her father had learnt during his years in Paris. Nera was a protective custodian of many of his works, as well as the teacher of whole generations of artists who stayed and worked at the Stazzema Studio.
Nowadays the Studio has become a Museum open to the public. Many of Filadelfo and Nera's works are on display including paintings, drawings, sketches and experiments. Together with period furniture the works combine to invoke a late nineteenth century atmosphere giving visitors an emotional experience of the past.
