I had never heard of Virginio Ferrari before my most recent trip to Chicago. Wandering around the city, I noticed several of the thirty pieces that he installed around his adopted home town.
Originally from Verona, Italy, but not related to the Enzo Ferrari family, he was hidden at an orphanage during WWII by his mother who was quite ill.
Since he was just there for protection and nourishment, the nuns did not give him the gifts of toys that the true orphans received. This forced Virginio to create his own toys from found objects. Barbed wire, stones and other scraps became his playthings. Doesn't sound too safe but fostered his imagination.
The family survived and were reunited after the war. They moved back to Verona where he joined the family's stone cutting business. They helped to restore Verona's destroyed landmarks. His skills were later honed as he attended university to study art formally. There he was exposed to bronze casting methods that date back to the renaissance as well as international abstract artists.
His first show was at age 24. He was then invited to be in the art-in-residency program at University of Chicago. Amazing!
Dialogo is a very abstract work on the University of Chicago campus. Love the strong lines that just draw you in.
From Verona to Chicago, a very interesting life. read more