Ricci, Arturo (Italian, 1854-1919)

Arturo Ricci (1854-1919) was an Italian Academic and Classical artist.

Ricci trained as an artist in Florence, where he received his instruction at the Academy of Art under Professor Tito Conti. Conti was famous for his admirable sense of composition and graceful portrayal of figures, and for his remarkable facility for representing inanimate objects. Conti instilled in his pupil, Ricci, an excellent ability to interpret scenes for harmonious composition, which is evident in the artist's fine works.

Ricci's forte lay in portraying scenes of everyday aristocratic life, with which he was most familiar. Such scenes also gave the artist an opportunity to depict a most wondrous display of 'costume art', which he depicted in exquisite detail and beautiful rich colours. It was these interior scenes of well-to-do European nobility that remained Ricci's preference to paint, although he did at intervals devote himself to the study of landscape too.

Ricci achieved immense success during his own lifetime, and exhibited his work throughout Italy and Germany. He spent the remainder of his life in Florence, where he died. Today, Ricci's works are held in prestigious galleries, museums and private collections around the world.