(Florence, 1898 – Cortona, Arezzo, 1980), writer and critic, fraternal friend of Primo Conti, who introduced him to futurism; together they founded in 1919 the magazine “Il Centone,” organ of a popular, Tuscan-style futurism. For the magazine’s editions he published in the same year the issue “The Painting of Primo Conti,” the first monograph on the painter. In the same year he exhibited parolibere panels at the Great National Futurist Exhibition in Milan, and others were declaimed at Futurist evenings organized by Marinetti. In 1922 he moved to Rome where he founded the literary magazine “Lo spettatore” and later, together with Conti, the satirical magazine “L’Enciclopedia” at whose editions he published the small volume “Poems:1922.” Continued interest in the movement’s themes are demonstrated by subsequent publications: the critical-biographical profile “F.T.Marinetti” came out in Rome in 1924 and the essay “Cubism, Futurism, Expressionism” in Bologna in 1926. Editor of the magazine “Il Tevere” in Rome from 1925 to 1932, he collaborated with “Literary Fair” and “Futurist Italy” as an art, literary and theater critic; at the same time he also devoted himself to the activity of playwright and translator, gradually abandoning futurism.
The Corrado Pavolini Fund is divided into the following sections: Correspondence, which collects the letters addressed to Pavolini from various correspondents including Alvaro, Aleramo, Bargellini, Bonsanti, Bontempelli, Campigli, Carocci, Carrà, D’Amico, De Benedetti, De Pisis, Loria, Longanesi, Montale, Ojetti, Palazzeschi, Papini, Pea, Severini, Soffici, Ungaretti, and Vittorini; special mention should be made of the vast correspondence with Conti, which is entirely preserved in the Conti Archive by Pavolini himself; Manuscripts, where the various drafts of Pavolini’s poetic, theatrical, nonfiction and narrative works, autographed and typewritten, have converged; Press Review, divided into articles by and about Pavolini; Publications, various printed materials (excerpts, programs, brochures, drafts); Photo library, which mainly preserves iconographic material related to Pavolini’s numerous stage shows and sketches directed by him; Drawings, with reproductions of theater sets and floor plans; Periodicals, including the newspapers “Augustea,” “Il Centone,” “The Encyclopedia,” “Avanscoperta,” “Comoedia,” “Scenario,” “The Spectator,” and “The Iron Head.” Library, which preserves some of Pavolini’s poetic and nonfiction works.
