Renato Guttuso (1911-1987)
Born near Palermo, Renato Guttuso was encouraged to paint by his father. Although he was soon participating in group shows, he enrolled at the University of Palermo to read law. Abandoning his studies when his work became more successful, he founded the Group of Four with other Sicilian artists who were opposed to Fascism and the dominant Novecento style. He spent his years of military service in Milan and became a member of the Communist party on moving to Rome in 1937. He co-founded the Fronte Nuovo delle Arti, a group unified by its belief in the social responsibility of the artist. Guttuso championed Social Realism, painting everyday working scenes in an easily understood style throughout the 1940s and 1950s. His work was exhibited internationally and at a major exhibition in Amsterdam in 1962. He was awarded the Lenin Prize for Peace in 1972 while exhibiting in Moscow, and continued to paint in a realist style until his death.
