Renzo Fenci

Renzo G. Fenci (18 November 1914 – 11 December 1999) was an Italian-American artist and arts educator, best known for his bronze sculpture. He worked in 1942 as a New Deal artist with the United States Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.

Renzo Fenci
Born	(1914-11-18)November 18, 1914 Florence, Italy
Died	December 31, 1999(1999-12-31) (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Royal Institute of Art, Instituto d'Arte Firenze

Biography

Fenci was born in Florence, Italy, on 18 November 1914.^[1] At a young age, he went to study art at the Royal Institute of Art.^[1] He received a master's degree in 1932 from Instituto d'Arte Firenze (Art Institute of Florence) and studied with sculptors Libero Andriotti and Bruno Innocenti.^[2][3]

He emigrated to New York City around 1937 or 1938, due to the change in politics in Europe and the rise of fascism.^[1][4] Fenci lived in New York City, New York and Madison, Wisconsin, before settling down in Pullman, Washington, in order to teach fine art at Washington State College.^[1]

He was commissioned in 1942 by the United States Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later known as The Section of Fine Arts) to create art.^[5] These commissions were for the creation of a series of terra-cotta bas reliefs for a post office in Easley, South Carolina, entitled “Cultivation of Corn”.^[5] Originally he planned to create six bas-relief panels, but the Section would only pay for three panels and there was much difficulty in the completion of the commission.^[5]

Fenci moved to Santa Barbara, California. From 1947 to 1954, he taught at Santa Barbara College (now called University of California, Santa Barbara).^[2][6] From 1955 until 1977, he was the head of the sculpture department at Otis Art Institute (now named Otis College of Art and Design).^[7]

Fenci has worked in the many public art museum collections including at the Uffizi museum,^[8] and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.^[9]

Fenci died at the age of 85 in Los Angeles, California, on 11 December 1999.^[1]

Personal life

He was married to Jeanne Lyons Foster in Santa Barbara.^[7] Fenci had one son and two stepdaughters, his son is also a sculptor.^[4][6]

See also

• List of New Deal sculpture