(Florence, 1900 – Florence, 1988), artist and writer, painted his first picture, a self-portrait on cardboard, at just eleven years old. At thirteen, he composed the musical work "Romance for Violin and Piano," and at the Futurist exhibition organized by "Lacerba" in 1913, he met Soffici, Marinetti, Palazzeschi, and Papini. The latter gave him a postcard dedicated "To the youngest and most intelligent visitor to the Futurist Exhibition." In 1917, he formed the Florentine Futurist group with Baldessari, Ginna, Lega, Venna, the Nannetti brothers, Spina, and Rosai. Between 1917 and 1921, he published a collection of poetic prose, "Imbottigliature," and came into contact with leading exponents of the avant-garde, including Picasso. With Corrado Pavolini, he founded the magazine “Il Centone” (1919), to which Rosai and Lega contributed, and the “Enciclopedia,” a pocket-sized satirical magazine considered a rare example of Italian Dada. In 1920, he published “La fanfara del costruttore” (The Builder's Fanfare) and participated in the main Futurist exhibitions in Italy and abroad. In 1928, he contributed with Leonida Rèpaci to the foundation of the Viareggio Prize, and from 1935 to 1939, he collaborated with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, creating sets, sketches, and costumes. In 1941, he held the chair of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he exhibited with De Chirico. In 1962, an exhibition was organized at Palazzo Strozzi to celebrate fiftieth anniversary of his painting, and in 1980, a major exhibition was dedicated to him in the Sala Bianca of Palazzo Pitti. In the same year, the Foundation that bears his name was founded, the book “Vecchia bicicletta nuova” was published, and in 1983 “La gola del merlo”, his autobiography in the form of an interview given to Gabriel Cacho Millet.
The Primo Conti Archive, declared of notable historical interest pursuant to art. 36 of Presidential Decree 30.11.63, was purchased by the Foundation in 1985. The archival material it contains—approximately 25.000 items, including letters, manuscripts, drawings, photographs, books, and periodicals—was meticulously collected by the artist throughout his life, from 1911 until his death in 1988.
The archive has been divided, during the arrangements that have taken place over the years, into the following sections.
The section Correspondence, composed of approximately 13.000 items attributable to over 2000 senders, collects letters, postcards, and notes sent to Conti starting in the 1910s by numerous correspondents whose names are only partially mentioned here: Balla, Bigongiari, Bonsanti, Bontempelli, Bueno, Cangiullo, Carrà, Costetti, De Chirico, De Pisis, Dottori, Falqui, Lega, Lisi, Loria, Marinetti, Nannetti, Negri, Nomellini, Notte, Ojetti, Palazzeschi, Papini, Pavolini, Pea, Pratella, Ragghianti, Raimondi, Russolo, Sanminiatelli, Soffici, and Vallecchi. Furthermore, it is possible to reconstruct the entire correspondence of many correspondents, as Conti preserved his drafts. To name just a few, the correspondence with Abba, Aleramo, Bacchelli, Bonsanti, Carrà, De Chirico, Marinetti, Palazzeschi, Pavolini, Prezzolini, Papini, Rosai, Oietti, Moretti, Nannetti, Notte, Meriano.
The section Manuscripts, which contains all of Conti's autographs, from the notebooks written during his childhood and adolescence (the earliest known date is 1905), to the diaries, notebooks, and agendas recording thoughts, poems, and projects, right up to the various drafts of his literary works and numerous writings on art, music, theater, religion, and philosophy. This section is accompanied by a collection of manuscripts by other authors who have dedicated their writings to Conti (Argan, Colacicchi, Romanelli, Venturoli) and texts sent to the artist, presumably to seek his opinion.
The section Photo Library, divided into Life and Friends Photo Library e Photographic library of works, brings together a rich and important iconographic heritage that constitutes a visual history of twentieth-century Italy, with particular cultural relevance attributable to the material from the first fifty years of the century. Through the collection of photographs of Conti's life and companions and the collection of reproductions of his works, the story of the avant-garde is outlined through the faces of its protagonists (Marinetti, Palazzeschi, Papini, Soffici, Russolo, Balla, Carrà, De Chirico, to name just the most famous) and their contribution in terms of artistic production. Photographic library of works In addition to his paintings, the collection also includes drawings, watercolours, mosaics, sculptures and ceramics created by Conti.
The section Library It houses the Maestro's private collection, which comprises over a thousand volumes, mostly relating to Futurism and, more generally, the avant-garde period. Numerous first editions are attributed to the leading figures of that unique era: Papini, Soffici, Conti, Rosai, Ginna, Marinetti, Depero, Balla, Corradini, Palazzeschi, to name just a few. This important collection is complemented by a smaller section comprising publications of various kinds: opera librettos, musical scores, some proofs of Conti's literary works, and a significant collection of exhibition catalogs from the 1910s onwards.
The section Press Review, divided by year, collects printed documentation on Conti's private and artistic life, from his first public appearances (1914-15) until his death. It consists mostly of clippings, of particular interest are those collected by Conti himself and arranged in six large-format albums. Together, they constitute a sort of autobiography of the artist, spanning both public and private life, from the 1910s to the 1930s.
The section Journals The collection gathers together all the magazines that Conti personally preserved, from historic Futurist publications such as "Lacerba" and "L'Italia Futurista" to the "Valori Plastici" collection, some issues of Marinetti's "Poesia," "Italia letteraria," and "Fiera Letteraria," through unique and unpublished experiences such as those witnessed by the magazine "Il Centone" and the collection of the small Florentine magazine "L'Enciclopedia." In total, more than five hundred publications constitute a heritage of unquestionable value, documenting not only the period of the Historical Avant-garde but also the entire turbulent history of the post-World War I and II period (such as "La voce," "La Diana," "Avanscoperta," "Il regime fascista," "Campo di Marte," "La riviera ligure," "La gazzetta del popolo," "L'impero," "Il Mondo," etc.).
The section Drawings It comprises approximately 200 pieces dating from 1912 to 1983, among which the very precocious school newspapers inspired by the theme of the Italo-Turkish war (1912), the numerous portraits of his wife and father (1932-1934), of his daughter Maria Novella (1932-1933), of his friends Corrado Pavolini and Aldo Palazzeschi (1929 and 1940) and the intense self-portraits (1938) stand out for their technical mastery and stylistic completeness. Grouped in a separate nucleus, the opera sketches and costume designs, approximately 85 pieces executed between 1935 and 1961, bear witness to his long and fruitful activity as a set and costume designer in collaboration with the most prestigious Italian theatres: the Comunale and the Pergola in Florence, the Rome Opera, the Fenice in Venice, the Teatro di Corte in Naples.
The section Plates and graphics It collects the original plates on which Conti's graphic works were printed, published in the catalogue “Primo Conti, Catalogo generale della grafica”, Electa, 1991.
Section Varia collects extremely heterogeneous material, referable to very different typologies, which for historical-archival reasons could not be included in the other sections. Various They include personal documentation of Conti and his family (certificates, diplomas, awards); printed materials (brochures, leaflets, posters, and general advertising material for solo and group exhibitions); several casts of the master's face, a head of his wife, and other sculptural works attributable to figures connected to Conti and his family; and various iconographic documents (numerous postcards, originals and copies of works sent to him by friends, acquaintances, and students). To date, no list exists of this vast and unique documentation and, therefore, it is excluded from consultation.
