Mucchi, Gabriele

Born June 25, 1899, in Turin. Italian painter and graphic artist.

Mucchi, an architect by training, took up painting in 1927. From 1929 to 1931 he worked in Berlin, where he came under the influence of K. Kollwitz and H. Zille. Between 1931 and 1934 he worked in Paris. During the 1930’s and 1940’s, Mucchi was a member of the Milanese Corrente group of antifascist artists.

Mucchi’s works from the 1940’s to the 1960’s are devoted to such topical themes as social protest by the masses, the antiwar movement, and the life and struggles of workers and fishermen. They are noted for realistic treatment of dramatic events, dynamic composition, rhythmic repetition of forms, and expressive lines and color. Examples of Mucchi’s works are War (1943, private collection, Milan), Lawful Defense (1950, National Gallery, Prague), Women Waiting for the Fishermen (1958, Dresden Picture Gallery), and The Atom Bomb (1962–63).