Rodolfo Zilli was born in Nimis in 1890. Following in the footsteps of his father, a stonemason by trade, he moved to Germany. There the young Rodolfo attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he studied under Wurba.
He served as a bersagliere in the 11th Italian regiment during the war and distinguished himself in famous battles in Libya, earning the Medal of Military Valour and Blue Ribbon.
He later travelled through Italy, France, Greece and Africa. His stays in Greece, Tripoli and Benghazi proved particularly influential, allowing him to meditate on Greek and Roman artistic production, specifically the practice of honorary or commemorative medals.
Following a sojourn in Paris, Zilli settled in the castle of Lannach near the city of Graz, which granted him honorary citizenship. The artist earnt particular acclaim for his portraits, which were inspired by the power of the nobility and the glory of Roman medals. He captured his likenesses by mixing resemblance and invocation, allowing the moral character of the individual to shine through. His most notable busts and sculptures include Cardinal Giovanni Urbani, Pope John XXIII, Pope Pius X, a bronze bas-relief of Robert Schuman (now on his tombstone at St Quentin church near Metz), Rudolf Palgen, Gaetano Martino, and a bronze bas-relief of Hans Furler, among many others.
In addition to his portraiture, Zilli paid homage to art through large cycles, three of which are particularly noteworthy. The first is a cycle inspired by Dante of around 30 sculptures and 50 large colour graphics, where the artist throws off the shackles of solemn memorials and gives free rein to his lyrical inspiration and the originality of his language, while drawing on ancient Greek art and modern impressionism. The second of these cycles addressed the themes of Genesis and the apocalypse. The third was an ambitious series that sought to consider a group of great Europeans.
Unfortunately, the last two cycles remained unfinished following the artist’s death in 1976. Nevertheless, most of this work is available in the Zilli Museum in Stainz Castle near Graz, which is looked after by the Styrian authorities.
The artist’s complete works and archives are curated and managed by his niece, Carolina Zilli.
