Alfredo Volpi was born in Lucca, Italy, in 1896. In 1898, his family moved to São Paulo, where he later attained his elementary education at an Italian school for the children of immigrants. At age 12, he left school to work as engraver and bookbinder. In his spare time, he drew. In 1912, he became an apprentice of residential decorative painting, an occupation that was to be his means of livelihood until the mid 1930s. In 1914, Volpi executed his first painting, a landscape

The 1910's

In 1918, together with painter Orlando Tarquínio, he took up a mural decoration ­ which was later destroyed ­ at the Military Hospital, in São Paulo.

During the following two decades, the artist worked in other commissions for mural painting work, to be done in a more creative manner than the craftwork he had executed in the early days of his career, decorating residential walls according to predetermined styles provided by the home owners themselves.

The 1920's

1925
Showed for the first time at the 2^nd General Exhibition of Fine Arts.
1927
Met Benedita da Conceição, whom he married in 1942.
1928
Was awarded the Gold Medal at the Muse Italiche, Salon organized by the Sociedade Italiana de Cultura, with the attendance of Italian immigrant artists.

In the 1920s, Volpi's work began to acquire a more regular pace, as the artist executed works of a more or less academic features, in which he seemingly rendered a painting that focuses lighting and the plasticity of the pictorial medium. The works evoke the trends that had rid European painting from the conventions of studio work, as for example Impressionism or the movements for the renovations of Italian painting at the turn of the 20th century, including the pointillism by the Macchiaioli.

The 1930's

1933
The artist received the Bronze Medal at the 39th General Exhibition of Fine Arts, in Rio de Janeiro. Met Francisco Rebolo, who was also a painter decorator.
1934
Showed in the 1st São Paulo Salon of Fine Arts; began to attend live model sessions at the Palacete Santa Helena, a building in the downtown district where other artists including Francisco Rebolo, Mário Zanini, Manoel Martins, Humberto Rosa, and Fúlvio Pennacchi met regularly. Aldo Bonadei and Clóvis Graciano were to join the artistic group that later Sérgio Milliet was to name Grupo Santa Helena. As part of their activities, the group went on outings in the city's outskirts or in the countryside, to paint landscapes.

Numerous vistas of Mogi das Cruzes clearly reveal Volpi's interest in a flat painting, transparencies and linear structures on surfaces.

1935
Received the Bronze Medal at the 3rd São Paulo Salon of Fine Arts.
1936
Showed in the exhibition "Small Pictures", organized by the Sociedade Paulista de Belas Artes, and in the 4th São Paulo Salon of Fine Arts.
1937
Attended the 1st São Paulo Artistic Family Salon, which brought together the Grupo Santa Helena and the new generation of São Paulo artists, whose production was to reveal common traits: a social-minded figuration and the appreciation for facture and for art tradition.
Made contact with Italian-German painter and sculptor Ernesto De Fiori, who had recently arrived from Europe. Volpi's circle of friends included old Italian masters and artisans who either worked at the Liceu de Artes and Ofícios de São Paulo (São Paulo School of Arts and Crafts) or had specialized in decorative painting, like himself.
1937-1938
Volpi was commissioned with the painting of a mural for the Chapel at the Monte Alegre Sugar Mill, in Piracicaba (SP), together with Aldorigo Marchetti and Mário Zanini.
1938
Showed at the 2nd May Salon and at the 4th Salon of the Artists' Union, in São Paulo.
1939
Showed at the 2nd São Paulo Artistic Family Salon and the 5th Salon of the Artists' Union; Volpi's attendance of the Artistic Family Salon caught the attention of Mário de Andrade, who mentioned the artist in an article published in O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper.

Beginning in the late 30s, Volpi painted numerous seascapes at Itanhaém, many of which reveal the influence of the fleeting and undulating brushstrokes by painter Ernesto De Fiori, his friend. Another sizable portion of the pictures he painted in Itanhaém - to which the artist was to devote himself in the 1940s - renders a discreetly metaphysical atmosphere, with the village reduced to a few geometric solids dotting the empty spaces. It was also in this town by the sea that Volpi met naïf painter Emygdio de Souza, and for many years, they went out together to paint.

The1940's

1940
Attended the 1st Art Salon of the National Industry Fair organized by painter Quirino da Silva in São Paulo.
Was awarded the Silver Medal at the 47th National Salon of Fine Arts organized by the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro.
Won the art contest held by the Serviço do Patrimônio Histórico and Artístico Nacional (National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service) to publicize the monuments installed in São Miguel and Embú, in São Paulo; Mário de Andrade integrated the jury panel.
Showed, at the 1st Osirarte Salon, the tiles he produced while working together with a group at Osirarte studio, established by Paulo Rossi Osir; throughout the 1940s he contributed other tile designs for the studio.
1942
Showed at the 48th National Salon of Fine Arts, in Rio de Janeiro, and at the 7th salon of VII Salão of the Salon of the Artists' Union, in São Paulo. Met Mário Schenberg, who purchased one of his Itanhaém seascapes.
1943
The painter's daughter, Eugênia Maria, was born.
1944
Volpi held his first one-person exhibition at Galeria Itá, in São Paulo, and showed at the "Modern Art Exhibition", in Belo Horizonte. During a trip to the historical cities of the state of Minas Gerais, he executed numerous works in Ouro Preto. Attended the 9th Salon of the Artists' Union and Osirarte Studio's group exhibition. In England, he showed at the "Exhibition of Brazilian Modern Painting" presented in London, and in other galleries.
1945
Showed in two group exhibitions in São Paulo, first at Galeria Benedetti and then at Galeria Itapetininga.
Joined his peers Rebolo, Paulo Rossi Osir, Nelson Nóbrega and Mário Zanini in the decorations for a Carnival ball, in São Paulo, the proceeds of which were to be partly destined for the Clube dos Artistas e Amigos da Arte (Artists and Friends of Art Club).
1946
Volpi showed solo for the second time, now at Galeria Domus, in São Paulo. Attended group exhibitions in South America: one in Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile, and the other ­ "Exposición de Osirarte" ­ in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1947
Showed in a group exhibition at Galeria Domus and at the 11th Salon of the Artists' Union, in São Paulo.
1948
Attended the 12th Salon of the Artists' Union and the group exhibition "Art Club", held at the Galeria Livros de Arte, in São Paulo.
1949
Presented his work in a group exhibition held at the Brazilian Institute of Architects headquarters in São Paulo, and showed at the "Exhibition of São Paulo Painting" at Galeria Domus of Rio de Janeiro. In São Paulo, painted two decorative murals at Hospital São Luiz Gonzaga, with children's motifs: gazebos, festive maypoles, birds, rocking horses, and kites.
Showed at the 1st Bahia Salon of Fine Arts.

Towards the end of the decade, the artist's body of work reveals a remarkable formal refinement, with the projection of figurative elements ­ chiefly roofs and façades ­ into a space that grew increasingly flatterer, structured by vertical bans.

The1950's

1950
Showed at the 25th Venice Biennale. Together with Mário Zanini and Paulo Rossi Osir, he traveled to Europe for the first time. Visited Padua repeatedly to see Giotto's frescoes. In Arezzo, saw Piero Della Francesca's works and took an interest in Margaritone, a 13th-century painter.

Volpi eliminates the remaining traces of volume on his canvases, and asserts the luminous attendance of colors, giving start to his painting of house façades.

1951
Showed at Osirarte exhibition and at the 1st São Paulo Salon of Modern Art.
Attended the 1st São Paulo Biennial, at which critic Theon Spanudis purchased one of his canvases. From then on, Spanudis was to become a great supporter of the artist's work.
Volpi executed mural paintings and drawings for the Chapel of Christ the Workman, in São Paulo.
1952
Attended the 26th Venice Biennale, at which he received the acquisition Prize for his work.
Showed in the group exhibition "Volpi, Zanini, Rossi" at the Instituto Cultural Italo-Brasileiro, in São Paulo, and in the 1st Rio de Janeiro Salon of Modern Art, at which he received a Silver Medal and the Hors-Concurs status.
1953
Received the Grand Prize for Brazilian Painting at the 2nd São Paulo Biennial, ex aequo with Di Cavalcanti, and the Unesco Acquisition Prize for his painting "Casas" (Houses), which was reproduced into prints in Unesco's publicity material.
1954
Showed at the 27th Venice Biennale and, in Rome, at the "Brazilian Show" held at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna.
Traveled to Bahia with Theon Spanudis.

The colonial churches of Salvador catch his attention and influence his series of façades featuring volutes, oculi, and curvilinear motifs of Baroque inspiration; he began to paint masts and flags.

1955
Organized his 3rd solo exhibition, presented at Galeria Tenreiro in São Paulo. Sent works to be shown at the Carnegie Institute, of Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Showed at the 3rd São Paulo Biennial and the 4th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, at which he was awarded the São Paulo Governor Prize.
1956
Sent works for showing in the group exhibition "50 Years of Brazilian Landscape", at Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. Later on that same year, he showed solo at his same museum.
Presented his work as a guest artist to the 1st National Exhibition of Concrete Art, at Museu de Arte de São Paulo. Joined the Concrete group of artists and poets.

In the late 1950s, his painting attained a heightened two-dimensionality and, at the same time, a reduction in formal elements. Thus, the artist started the Concrete phase of his art production.

1957
Showed at the 1st National Exhibition of Concrete Art, presented in Rio de Janeiro at the Ministry of Education and Health building, and at the 4th São Paulo Biennial. His works traveled with the exhibition "Arte Moderno del Brazil" (Modern Art of Brazil) to Buenos Aires and Rosario (Argentina), Santiago (Chile) and Lima (Peru). In his honor, the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro organized a first retrospective show that was presented by Mário Pedrosa.
1958
Received the Guggenheim National Prize for Brazil; his work was sent to New York along with works by other artists, to be shown at the Guggenheim International Prize. Painted frescoes and designed paramenta for the Our Lady of Fatima Chapel of the Pioneiras Sociais association, in Brasília; the work was not preserved.

In the late 1950s, Volpi set aside the strictly "Concrete" formal divestment to resume in a free-flowing manner the façades and little flags.

1959
Presented his early works in an exhibition at the home of sculptor Antonio Zorlini; showed in the group exhibition organized at the Guggenheim Foundation, in New York, and in the 5th International Art Show, in Tokyo, Japan. Organized a one-person exhibition of his works at Galeria Gea, in Rio de Janeiro, and showed at the exhibition "Forty artists of Brazil", at Galeria de Arte São Luiz, in São Paulo.

The 1960's

1960
At the end of the year, showed again at Galeria de Arte São Luiz, in São Paulo.
At this turn of decade, the strict frontality of Volpi's painting, with its series of façades and little flags, is gradually replaced by more simple compositions where solitary elements ­ poles, sails, little flags ­ hover over virtual backgrounds.

In the 1960s, Volpi went on sporadic sojourns to Rio de Janeiro, where he kept in close touch with sculptor Bruno Giorgi and painter Décio Vieira.

1961
Showed in Brasília, at the exhibition "Paintings, drawings and engravings of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo Collection" and, in São Paulo, at the show "Artists and Friends of Art Club". Presented his works in a special room at the 6th São Paulo Biennial.
1962
Attended the 31st Venice Biennale; showed solo at Petite Galerie, in Rio de Janeiro; presented his work in Argentina, at the 1st American Art Show at the Cordoba museum and, subsequently, in Buenos Aires.
Awarded the Top Brazilian Painter Prize by representatives of art criticism in Rio de Janeiro.
In Rio de Janeiro, painted with the help of Décio Vieira four panels to decorate passenger liners of the Companhia Nacional de Navegação Costeira; two of these panels have been preserved. Commissioned by Rhodia Têxtil, he designed textile prints.
1963
Presented his work at the gallery of Studium Generale, in Stuttgart (Germany). Showed at Galeria Seta and at the Brazilian Institute of Architects, in São Paulo. Some of his works were included in the exhibition "Tribute to Portinari," staged in Brodósqui, in the state of São Paulo.
Showed solo in the "Casa do Brasil" art gallery at Pallazzo Doria Pamphili, the Brazilian embassy building in Rome.
1964
Presented his work at the 32nd Venice Biennale.
1965
Showed in a one-person exhibition at Petite Galerie, of Rio de Janeiro.
1966
Volpi was honored with a special room at the 1st National Art Biennial in Salvador, BA; he also showed at the exhibition "The Grupo Santa Helena Today," at Galeria 4 Planetas, in São Paulo.
Painted the fresco "Vision of Don Bosco", at Palácio Itamaraty, in Brasília.
1967 Showed in the group exhibition "The São Paulo Artistic Family: Thirty Years Later," at the Auditório Itália, in São Paulo.
1968
His works are shown as part of the Tamagny Collection of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, shown at the museum.
1969
Cosme Velho Galeria de Arte, pf São Paulo, organizes the exhibition "20 years (1948-1968) in the painting of Alfredo Volpi" as a tribute to the artist.

Along the 1960s, Volpi's painting veered toward informal abstraction, with great color fields peopled by arcades, sails, poles and ribbons that hover over the surfaces; his gesture makes a more profound imprint. At the same time, his little flags are gradually arranged into dynamic compositions, in which they are juxtaposed so as to create kinetic effects that reveal luminous colors and the intense use of velatura.

The1970's

1970
Volpi was awarded the Grand Prize for Painting at the exhibition "Panorama of the Current Brazilian Art: Painting" held at Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. He also showed at the inaugural exhibition of Galeria Astréia, in São Paulo, and at Petite Galerie, in Rio de Janeiro.
1971
Showed at Galeria Ralph Camargo and Galeria Astréia, in São Paulo; was honored by the Museu da Imagem e do Som, of Rio de Janeiro, with the Golden Dolphin Prize for the best exhibition of the year.

In the fist half of the 1970s, Volpi's painting gradually dismissed the narrative elements that had distinguished it in the preceding decades, and drew nearer abstraction. Now the artist concentrated in the creation of optical illusion and kinetic effects obtained with fabrics of little flags traversed by poles and ogives.

1972
Volpi's wife died.
Presented his works in São Paulo in the exhibition "Week of Œ22. Precedents and consequences," at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, and in the exhibition "Brazilian Themes," at Paço das Artes. In São Paulo, Galeria Azulão showed Volpi's works in the exhibition "Grupo Santa Helena: drawings"; in Rio de Janeiro, Galeria Barcinsky presented the exhibition "Volpi: a few selected works (1925/1972)".
A major retrospective of the artist was stages at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, organized by Aracy Amaral.
1973
Showed at the exhibition "Eight painters of the Grupo Santa Helena" at Galeria Uirapuru, in São Paulo, and at the 1st Brazil-Japan Art Show organized by the Fundação Messiânica do Brasil, in São Paulo. Volpi also presented his works in a one-person exhibition at Cosme Velho Galeria de Arte, in São Paulo.
1974
Showed at Galeria de Arte Ipanema, in Rio de Janeiro and in the exhibition "Fourteen artists of modern Brazil" organized at the Department of Cultural Affairs, subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Culture, in São Paulo.
1975
The Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo organized a major retrospective of Volpi's oeuvre, featuring more than 300 works produced between 1914 and 1975.
The artist showed at the exhibitions "Forty years of the Grupo Santa Helena", at Paço das Artes, and "Modernism: from 1917 to 1930," at the Museu Lasar Segall, in São Paulo.
Presented his works at the "2ª Brazil-Japan Art Show" organized by Fundação Messiânica in São Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro.
1976
Showed in a one-person exhibition at Cosme Velho Galeria de Arte and in the exhibition "Artists and Olivetti" at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, in São Paulo. The Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Campinas José Pancetti organized the retrospective "Volpi: a visão essencial" [Volpi: the essential vision], curated by Olívio Tavares de Araújo.
Presented his work at a solo exhibition at the Porto Alegre offices of the Brazilian Institute of Architects. Showed in the group exhibitions "Brazilian Art of the 20th century: paths and trends," at Galeria de Arte Global, in São Paulo, and in "Brazil: artists of the 20th century" at Centre d'Art Plastique Contemporain, in Paris, France. Attended the following exhibitions in São Paulo: "Panorama of the Current Brazilian Art: Painting," at the Museu de Arte Moderna; "Collection Theon Spanudis", at the University of São Paulo's Museu de Arte Contemporânea; "The Salons: São Paulo Artistic Family, May, and São Paulo Artists' Union," at the Museu Lasar Segall, and "Santeiros Imaginários" [Imaginary Makers of Saint Images], at Paço das Artes.
1977
Showed in the exhibition "Grupo Santa Helena. Grupo Seibi," at Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado, in São Paulo. Presented his works at the exhibition "Brazilian Constructive Project in Art (1950-1962)," at Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Volpi's works also integrated the exhibitions "Colecionadores nas arcadas"[Collectors at the Arcades], at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo and the "3rd Brazil-Japan
1978
Presented works in the exhibition "The biennials and abstraction: the 1950s," at the Museu Lasar Segall, as well as in the exhibition "Alfredo Volpi: constructivism. Temperas," staged at Cosme Velho Galeria de Arte, both in São Paulo. Showed in Rio de Janeiro in the exhibition "Constructivist and figurative works in the Collection Theon Spanudis" held at Centro de Artes Porto Seguro, and in the exhibition "Art Now III ­ América Latina: a sensible geometry," at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro.
1979
Presented his work at the 15th São Paulo Biennial; showed at the Galeria Ipanema, in Rio de Janeiro. The University of São Paulo's Museu de Arte Contemporânea staged an important set of Volpi's works in the exhibition "Collection Theon Spanudis"; his production was also shown in two group shows organized in São Paulo, "Four colorists: Volpi, Boese, Barsotti, Thomaz," at Christina Faria de Paula Galeria de Arte, and "Drawings in the 1940s", at the Mário de Andrade Municipal Library.

The1980's

1980
Showed solo at Galeria Oswaldo Goeldi, at the Fundação Nacional de Arte, in Brasília; in São Paulo, Galeria A Ponte organized the exhibition "Volpi's little big works: three decades of painting" in the artist's honor, and in Rio de Janeiro, Acervo Galeria de Arte presented "Temperas by Alfredo Volpi."
1981
The Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo displayed Volpi's works in the exhibition "Arte Transcendente"[Transcendent Art]; the artist's training period was revisited in the show "The early years and the 1920s" at Cosme Velho Galeria de Arte, in São Paulo. The exhibition "Volpi metafísico"[A metaphysical Volpi] was shown at the Operations Control Center of the São Paulo subway company. The artist's works were presented at the exhibitions "From modern to contemporary in the Collection Gilberto Chateaubriand," at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, and "Brazilian artists from the first half of the 20th century," at Fundação Pierre Chalita, in Maceió. In São Paulo, his work was shown in the group exhibitions "Rebolo and the painters of the Santa Helena," at Dan Galeria, and the "5th Brazil-Japan Art Show" organized by Fundação Messiânica do Brasil.
1982
Showed at Galeria Ipanema, in Rio de Janeiro, and at the exhibitions "Seascapes and River Scenes," at the Museu Lasar Segall, and "From Modernism to the Biennial," at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo.
1984
Presented his works at the exhibition "Portrait and self-portrait of Brazilian art. Collection Gilberto Chateaubriand," held at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. Showed solo at Oscar Seráphico Galeria de Arte, in Brasília. In São Paulo, his works integrated the exhibitions "Tradição e ruptura" [Tradition and rupture], at Fundação Bienal, and "The great masters of Brazilian abstract art," organized by the Sociedade de Amigos dos Museus do Brasil [Friends of Brazilian Museums Society] in several European cities, and in New York and Washington, D.C..
1985
Dan Galeria, of São Paulo, honored the artist with the exhibition "Volpi: 89 anos" [Volpi: 89 years]; in Rio de Janeiro, Galeria Bonino presented the exhibition "Alfredo Volpi: 1960-1985." His works were shown in Curitiba, in the exhibition "Barsotti, Ianelli, Tomie, Volpi," at Simões de Assis Galeria de Arte. The exhibition "Osirarte" at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo featured tiles painted by Volpi. His works are shown in a special room at the 7th National Art Salon, in Rio de Janeiro.
1986
The exhibition "Alfredo Volpi: 90 anos. Um registro documental por Calixto" [Alfredo Volpi: 90 years. A documental record by Calixto] was organized at the University of São Paulo's Museu de Arte Contemporânea as a tribute to the artist. The Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo presented works from 1914 to 1982 in the retrospective "Volpi: 90 anos" curated by Olívio Tavares de Araújo. Showed in the exhibition "Seven decades of Italian presence in Brazilian art," at the Paço Imperial, in Rio de Janeiro.
1987
Contorno Galeria de Arte, of Rio de Janeiro, presented "A. Volpi. Obras de diferentes décadas" [A. Volpi: Works from Different Decades]; his works were shown in the exhibition "Modernité: Art Brésilien du 20ème Siècle" [Modernity: 20th-century Brazilian Art] staged at the Musée D'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and brought to São Paulo in 1988, to be shown at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo.
1988
His works were shown in São Paulo in the exhibition "Brasiliana: o homem e a terra" [Braziliana: man and the land] presented at the Pinacoteca do Estado, and at Cosme Velho Galeria de Arte, in the exhibition " Volpi: 90 anos. Homenagem de amigos" [Volpi: 90 years. A tribute from his friends] organized in his honor.
Alfredo Volpi died in May, in São Paulo.

From 1988 to date, small and large exhibitions were organized in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília in honor of Alfredo Volpi. Some among them are particularly noteworthy: "Volpi: projetos e estudos. Em retrospectiva: décadas 40/70" [Volpi: designs and studies. In retrospective: the 1940s-70s] shown at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, in 1993; "Volpi," at the Museu do Banco Central, in Brasília, and at the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, in Rio de Janeiro, in 1996; and the special room organized at the 24th São Paulo Biennial, presenting a significant set of works by the painter
The principal publications on Alfredo Volpi published as from 1988 include: Araújo, Olívio Tavares de. Volpi: projetos e estudos. En retrospectiva: décadas 40/70. São Paulo: Pinacoteca do Estado-Raízes, 1993; Klintowitz, Jacob. Volpi: noventa anos. São Paulo: Sesc, 1989; Mammì, Lorenzo.Volpi. São Paulo: Cosac & Naify Edições, 1999. (Série Espaços da Arte Brasileira); Salzstein, Sônia. Volpi. Rio de Janeiro: Campos Gerais/ Sílvia Roesler, 2000.