Ugo Guidi - The last years

In the meanwhile, the exhibitions and the contests became more frequent. Ugo Guidi exhibited his works in the Quadriennali of Rome, in the Premio del Fiorino of Florence, in the Biennials of Carrara, in the Bronzetto international contests of Padua and in many other exhibitions. Sometimes he also went abroad: in 1964 in Munich, in 1969 in Madrid where he took part to the Art and Sports International Biennial and in 1971 in Barcelona.
The relationship between Ugo Guidi and sport was always very intense: Guidi loved sport (he played as a goalkeeper during his youth) and he tried to transmit his passion in his works. Everytime there was a exhibition where the sport was the main theme, Ugo Guidi was always invited. In 1969 a monument to be placed in front of the Stadium of Forte dei Marmi was ordered to Guidi: so he realized The Goalkeeper, a work that we could still see nowadays. Moreover, during the Seventies he knew Artemio Franchi, who was the chairman of the FIGC (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, the Italian Football Association). Franchi ordered to him a work to be placed in the Federal Technical Centre of the FIGC in Coverciano (near Florence), where the most important Italian football trainers and footballers meet theirselves and where the National Italian Team trains itself. Guidi realized some models and Franchi choosed one which was realized as a monument by the artist: so in 1974 the Calciatori, one of the most famous and important works by Ugo Guidi, were born.
In 1970 the sculptor was appointed as Accademico Corrispondente dell'Accademia delle Arti del Disegno di Firenze (Academic Correspondent of the Academy of Drawing Arts in Florence). In 1976 the first signs of the incurable disease who was diagnosed in 1974 started to make theirselves evidents, so the production of Ugo Guidi began to become gloomier and more dramatic. Guidi left sculpture in 1976 realizing the Winners, a symbol of his last personal victory. After the Winners Ugo Guidi realized only drawings and paintings, even though the colours were always cold, dark and gloomy. His last works were shown in 1977 in the "La Vecchia Farmacia" gallery in Forte dei Marmi. The exhibition had a tragic and symbolic title: "Il grido" ("The scream"). Some days after the exhibition, on 1977 July 10th, Ugo Guidi died in his house, in Vittoria Apuana.

A project by
Federico Giannini

Museo Ugo Guidi
(Forte dei Marmi)

Associazione Amici
del Museo Ugo Guidi
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