Andrea Celesti: Venetia’s Painter of Garda Highlighted at Sirmione Event
At the Grand Hotel Terme di Sirmione there was a celebration of “Andrea Celesti, the Painter of Garda,” an interesting meeting promoted by the Lions Club Sirmione, whose president is Alessandro Cavagnis.
Event and Speakers
In the presence of a large and distinguished audience, the conference on Andrea Celesti took place in an atmosphere of great interest. The speakers included Vincenzo Gheroldi (professor at the University of Bologna and art historian of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage of Brescia, Cremona, Mantua), Isabella Marelli (art historian and director of the Museo di Brera), Gian Carlo Quaglia (architect, restorer), and Elisabetta Attorese.
After the introduction by President Alessandro Cavagnis, Marelli presented the life and works of the painter; Quaglia guided the attendees into the challenging world of restoration, which was referenced by Gheroldi, who detailed Celesti’s painting techniques with thorough precision.
Attorese spoke about restoration techniques applied to the painter’s works. Andrea Celesti was born in Venice in 1637 and died in 1712 in an unknown location.
Biography and Artistic Production
Renowned in his hometown as a “celebrated painter,” since 1674, and in 1675 he was included on the list of the best living artists in Venice. The doge Alvise Contarini, in office from 1676, awarded him the title of “knight.”
The reasons that prompted Andrea Celesti to move to Garda, to Toscolano, are unknown. The earliest record of his presence there is his marriage act, celebrated on January 8, 1688, with the Venetian Martina Davagni.
In the same year, he completed the large altarpieces that cover the entire walls of the presbytery of the parish church in Toscolano. In 1690, he was working on painting the cycle of S. Maria Maddalena in the Cathedral of Desenzano.
In 1692, Celesti opened a workshop in Brescia, residing in the parish of S. Maria in Calchera. In 1711, he delivered two important altarpieces for the parish church of Verolanuova. On January 4, 1712, he was paid for “paintings for the choir chapels” in Toscolano.
This is the last document mentioning Andrea Celesti.
