Nani Tedeschi was born in Cadelbosco di Sopra, Reggio Emilia, in 1938. He initially studied medicine in Sassari and even practised the profession while also pursuing a passion for art, which took root at a young age and never waned.
A number of trips across Italy confirmed his creative appetite. In Turin he met and befriended Mario Sironi and Carlo Ruggeri. In Milan he met Emilio Scanavino and members of the French avant-garde (1962–1963). He later travelled to Rome where he met Antonello Trombadori and a member of the Fieschi dynasty, who would become a lifelong friend.
During this period, Tedeschi worked as a graphic designer for numerous magazines and newspapers, mainly at night. In 1962 he met Walter Piacesi, who taught him the art of engraving in Fermignano.
In 1965, while still a practising doctor in Sardinia, he embarked upon a series of collages with strong colour contrasts. This compositional experiment would prove fruitful and remained a constant in his work. 1965 also marked the beginning in a series of solo exhibitions, with successive shows in Oristano, Cagliari and Sassari. His true apotheosis came in 1972, when he was invited to take part in the 36th Venice Biennale. Following this success, Tedeschi embraced his new-found status and abandoned his career as a doctor to work full-time as an artist.
This shift materialised in a number of commissions for book illustrations, including: Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso and fifth Satire, the literary publication Baldus, Virgil’s Aeneid, A dictionary of sex, love and voluptuousness, Storia di uno di noi, Therese the Philosopher, La coda del diavolo, Dell’ironia, Garibaldi in Milan, Tre uomini in Po by Beppe Gualazzini, Asterischi, Mitomalacologia, Full time, Merit 85, Effusioni by Carlo Castellaneta, Ironia e paura del quotidiano by Roberto Escobar, I racconti di mio padre by Luciano Caprile, Il faro dell’isola dimenticata by Anna Romei and Il principe errante. From 1967 to 2000 he designed countless postcards and more than 250 public posters, and worked as an illustrator for Corriere della Sera, il Giornale nuovo, Il Sole 24 Ore and Rai.
Tedeschi’s work saw him travel to Nevers, Vienna, Split, Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin, New York, Tokyo and São Paulo.
The artist passed away in 2017.
