Pietro Annigoni (Milan 1910 - Florence 1988)                              

When he subscribed the "Manifesto of the Reality Modern Painters" in 1947, with many other members as Gregorio Sciltian, he was plagued by reviews which labelled him as "the Queen painter".
Born in Milan, his graphic technique of painting strictly connected with the Ambrosian Leonardo's drawings and was typical of a Renaissance painter.
He enjoyed the De Chirico esteem because of his aversion to the non-representational movements, considered as poisoned by a spiritual decline after a tragic loss of love for life; but Carlo Carrà accused his technicality of anachronism.
When Italy gave him a cold welcome, he won popularity; becoming the official portraitist of the English aristocracy, commissioned by the English Royal Academy (he is the author of the Elizabeth II portrait, 1955).
He was officially supported and he accepted the honorary appointment of "Cavaliere di Gran Croce".
He was considered the only Italian classical painter worthy of the twentieth-century because of his real spirit of freedom and his great love for travelling.
He died in Florence in 1988.

Bibliography: 

Consulenza linguistica a cura di  Rosa Maria Curci

                                                                   rosamaria.curci@libero.it