Diego De Minicis
Born in Petriolo on February 7th, 1913 – Dead in Filonowo on August 22nd, 1942
Diego Muzio Vedasto De Minicis is an Italian sculptor and painter.
At the Brera Academy, he was apprenticed to Francesco Messina. In 1921 the painter Ciro Pavis arrived in Petriolo to depict The Miracle of the Oxen inside the Sanctuary of Madonna della Misericordia.
There, the young De Minicis, who was 8 years old, astonished in front of that painting. So, at the age of 16, he entered the Brera Art School in Milan, where he graduated four years later. The following year, he entered the Brera Academy, to graduate again at the age of 24.
His master was Francesco Messina. During his stay in Milan, Diego De Minicis created copious artworks, which have been lost.
What remains is their photos, taken by the artists himself.
In 1935 Diego De Minicis showed to the art scholars his high-relief titled “L’assalto all’Avanti! And Spadoni’s death”, inside Castello Sforzesco. Its photo was published in the magazine “Popolo D’Italia” on March 19th, 1935. In the caption, an explanation: the author of the artwork, Diego De Minicis, presents it at Castello Sforzesco. The high-relief is another lost artwork, maybe the Brera Academy destroyed it, since De Minicis, involved in World War II, wasn’t able to answer the solicitation letters about the pick requests of his deposited works.
Despite his very young age, Diego De Minicis works intensely, producing a great number of artworks, of which only a part remains.
Freshly graduated at the Brera Academy, there are many opportunities for his career:
– substitute for Sandro Cherchi (who was committed in the military service) at the Art School, as assistant of Drawing and Sculpture. As evidence, the official letter written by the Academy and signed by the attorney Guido Pesenti, the executive director. The letter is dated October 16th, 1941, and it was preceded by previous letters by Francesco Messina;
– Messina’s request to collaborate in the work realized with the sculptor Panciera;
– Vincenzo Monti’s (a painter) request to join the circle of artists composed by Monti, Bonifazi, Ciarrocchi, Mainini and Luchetti;
– the agreement for the creation of a Way of The Cross made of wax, to be placed inside the Sanctuary of Madonna della Misericordia in Petriolo.
The sculptor managed to realize only two stations of the Way of The Cross. Indeed, Diego De Minicis died on August 22nd, 1942 during the battle of Don, in Russia. He was buried in Filonowo.
His remains, discovered after several years, were linked to him through a metal identification plate. Moved to Petriolo, they lie in the Monument to the Fallen.
What remains of Diego De Minicis’ artistic production is: fifteen facial sculptures; two Stations of the Cross; a Resurrection; a Crucifixion; the sketch of the monument dedicated to Filippo Corridoni; the bust representing his cousin, attorney Delio De Minicis; the wooden model of his cousin’s monumental grave (completely realized in Sarnano); the marbled angelic face of the sculptor’s daughter, who died prematurely (overlooking the entrance to her monumental grave); the plaster model of the monumental grave for Savini Brandimarte family (but never realized); a clay representing a nude of a crouched woman; a low relief representing Mussolini’s face. Moreover: a considerable number of drawings and paintings; some of the drawings are preliminary studies for his sculptures.
Category: Artists
