Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978)  born in Volos, Greece, to Italian parents,  studied art in Athens, Munich and Paris before moving back to Italy where, together with Carlo Carrà, he created the Pittura Metafisica (metaphysical painting).

The Pittura Metafisica was centred round stark views of semi-abstract figures, a deserted collection of distorted mannequins and solitary easels made even more menacing by harsh light effects and oblique perspective. The new style was supposed to overcome the limitations of Cubism, which de Chirico had experienced in Paris, where he had met Picasso. Among de Chirico's best works from the period are The Nostalgia of the Infinite and Mystery and Melancholy of a Street .

The movement, however, was shortlived, coming to an end in the early 1920s, when de Chirico and Carrà has a contrast over who had invented the concept of metaphysical painting.

In the 1930s, de Chirico abandoned Modernism - which by now he despised - to rediscover the techniques and materials of the Old Masters. The enigmatic dreamscapes of the early 20s gave way to portraits and studies of fruit against the backdrop of a landscape - many of which can be seen at the artist's recently opened museum house in Rome. De Chirico's metaphysical works are on display in several museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the new Tate Modern in London and the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Rome.

- Auction 2001 >>>

- De Chirico foundation museum house >>>