Toni del Renzio
Encyclopedia
Antonino Romanov del Renzio dei Rossi di Castellone e Venosa (Toni del Renzio) (15 April 1915 - 7 January 2007), an artist and writer of Italian
and Russia
n parentage, was leader of the British Surrealist Group
for a period.
He brought to the British School a wide range of contacts, editorial organization, motivation and philosophy at a time of wartime hiatus. He was born at Tsarskoe Selo, and at the time of the Russian Revolution his family fled to Yalta
and then Italy
. He explained his desertion from Benito Mussolini
Tripolitan cavalry by the observation that Abyssinians
castrated their prisoners. As his flight through north Africa resulted in his arrival in Spain
just in time to join the Trotskyite faction in the first year of the Spanish civil war
other reasons may have existed. He noted in later life that the external supporters of the Republican cause had no motivation to arm or supply this faction and indeed was in fear for his life from both Stalinist and Fascist agents by the time he fled to France
about a year later.
he met Pablo Picasso
and André Masson
and associated with Benjamin Péret
. Arriving in Britain just before the Second World War he was on the fringes of the Surrealist group and had a brief affair with Emmy Bridgwater
. His key work Arson: An ardent review. Part One of a Surrealist Manifestation in 1942 was partially financed by Ithell Colquhoun
whom he married in 1943 and divorced in 1948. Also in 1942 he mounted a London exhibition entitled Surrealism resulting in more general recognition. Toni del Renzio remained an active pamphleteer until just before his death. He was actively pamphleted against himself by other British surrealists such as E. L. T. Mesens and Conroy Maddox
during the time the British movement again found direction with the definitive split with him in 1946.
He was involved in the Independent Group
in the 1950s and contributed to the 1956 seminal art exhibition This Is Tomorrow
.
He worked as a journalist, art and film director, actor and lecturer continuing his collage and painting until shortly before he died at Margate
, Kent
, England. He was survived by his wife, Doris, and their two daughters and two sons.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n parentage, was leader of the British Surrealist Group
British Surrealist Group
The British Surrealist Group was involved in the organisation of the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936.The London Bulletin was published by the Surrealist Group in England, according to the June 1940 edition , edited by E. L. T...
for a period.
He brought to the British School a wide range of contacts, editorial organization, motivation and philosophy at a time of wartime hiatus. He was born at Tsarskoe Selo, and at the time of the Russian Revolution his family fled to Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
and then Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He explained his desertion from Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
Tripolitan cavalry by the observation that Abyssinians
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
castrated their prisoners. As his flight through north Africa resulted in his arrival in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
just in time to join the Trotskyite faction in the first year of the Spanish civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
other reasons may have existed. He noted in later life that the external supporters of the Republican cause had no motivation to arm or supply this faction and indeed was in fear for his life from both Stalinist and Fascist agents by the time he fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
about a year later.
Surrealism
In 1938 in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
he met Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
and André Masson
André Masson
André-Aimé-René Masson was a French artist.-Biography:Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, Oise, but was brought up in Belgium. He began his study of art at the age of eleven in Brussels, at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts under the guidance of Constant Montald, and later he studied in Paris...
and associated with Benjamin Péret
Benjamin Péret
Benjamin Péret was a French poet, Parisian Dadaist and a founder and central member of the French Surrealist movement with his avid use of Surrealist automatism.-Biography:...
. Arriving in Britain just before the Second World War he was on the fringes of the Surrealist group and had a brief affair with Emmy Bridgwater
Emmy Bridgwater
Emma Frith Bridgwater , known as Emmy Bridgwater, was an English artist and poet associated with the Surrealist movement....
. His key work Arson: An ardent review. Part One of a Surrealist Manifestation in 1942 was partially financed by Ithell Colquhoun
Ithell Colquhoun
Ithell Colquhoun was a British Surrealist painter and author. She was born in Shillong, Eastern Bengal and Assam, British India...
whom he married in 1943 and divorced in 1948. Also in 1942 he mounted a London exhibition entitled Surrealism resulting in more general recognition. Toni del Renzio remained an active pamphleteer until just before his death. He was actively pamphleted against himself by other British surrealists such as E. L. T. Mesens and Conroy Maddox
Conroy Maddox
Conroy Maddox , was an English surrealist painter, collagist, writer and lecturer; and a key figure in the Birmingham Surrealist movement....
during the time the British movement again found direction with the definitive split with him in 1946.
He was involved in the Independent Group
Independent Group
The Independent Group met at the Institute of Contemporary Arts London from 1952-55. The IG consisted of painters, sculptors, architects, writers and critics who wanted to challenge prevailing modernist approaches to culture. They introduced mass culture into debates about high culture,...
in the 1950s and contributed to the 1956 seminal art exhibition This Is Tomorrow
This is Tomorrow
This Is Tomorrow was a seminal art exhibition in August 1956 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, facilitated by curator Bryan Robertson. The core of the exhibition was the ICA Independent Group.-History:...
.
He worked as a journalist, art and film director, actor and lecturer continuing his collage and painting until shortly before he died at Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. He was survived by his wife, Doris, and their two daughters and two sons.
External links
- The del Renzio Affair: A leadership struggle in wartime surrealism - Silvano Levy, 2005
- Obituary in The Independent - 12 January 2007 - by Silvano LevySilvano LevySilvano Levy is an academic and art critic specialising in surrealism, with emphasis on Conroy Maddox and Desmond Morris. He studied at the University of Reading and the University of Kent at Canterbury.-Bibliography:...
- Obituary in The Times
- Obituary in The Guardian - 18 January 2007 - by Roger Cardinal
- Obituary in The Yorkshire Post - 20 January 2007