Dionisio Cimarelli

Early life

Dionisio Cimarelli was born in Jesi, Italy. At the age of 7, his family moved to Moie di Maiolati Spontini, Italy. In 1975, he was awarded first prize for a painting entered in Premio Natale, an art contest for primary school students.

Education

In 1983, Cimarelli earned a diploma in sculpture at Liceo artistico Edgardo Mannucci (formerly Istituto Statale d'Arte “E. Mannucci”) in Ancona, Italy.

In 1989, he graduated in sculpture from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara, Italy. To collect information for his thesis, in 1986 Dionisio traveled to China on the Trans-Siberian Railway to China. The trip was made possible by a letter of invitation from the sculptor Floriano Bodini, then president of the school. In 1988, an article describing Cimarelli’s one-year trip was published in Tuttoturismo magazine.

In 1994, Cimarelli was awarded a diploma in sculpture at Scola prufesciunela per la artejanat artistich (School of specialization in sculpture of wooden figure) in Sëlva di Val Gardena, Italy. In 1995, he enrolled at the University of Paris in Paris, France. In 1997, he studied with sculptor Mikhail Anikushin at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1998, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, Czech Republic.

Work

Abstract Cimarelli’s began his career creating abstract anthropomorphic shapes inspired by surrealism. From 1983-1990, he produced works in terracotta, wood, bronze, and marble. Invited by Claudio Abbado, Cimarelli's first abstract sculpture exhibition was organized by Elmar Weingarten at the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin, Germany in 1999.

Realism Inspired by his conservation experience at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, Cimarelli moved to figurative sculpture in 1991. Studying techniques from sculptors such as Donatello, Michelangelo, Jacopo della Quercia, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, he produced sculpture in wood, bronze, stone, and marble. In 2001, he created a marble sculpture of St. John the Baptist that was first exhibited in Oslo, Norway.

Figurative Chinese Series From 2007-2008, Cimarelli create a series of contemporary figurative sculpture in porcelain with colorful, jewel-like surface finishing in Jingdezhen in the Jianxi province of China.

In 2010, Cimarelli created Matteo Ricci, a 59-inch gilded fiberglass sculpture finished with 24K gold leaf and calligraphy. The piece was first exhibited at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. From 2011-2012, the sculpture was exhibited at the Embassy of Italy in Beijing, China. It is currently in the collection of Regione Marche Government in Ancona, Italy.

Restoration

Cimarelli has participated in several large sculptural and architectural restoration projects. From 1990-1991, he worked on the renovation of the Court Napoleon at the Louvre Museum. The courtyard surrounds the Louvre Pyramid designed by I.M. Pei. In 1995, he worked on the Christiansborg Palace Chapel in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1998, he worked the Strasbourg Cathedral in Strasbourg, France and the Porte d'Aix in Marseille, France. In 2002, he restored the Institution of Civil Engineers headquarters in London, England. The following year, he worked on the restoration of the Stockholm Palace and House of Nobility in Stockholm, Sweden.

Zhongkai Sheshan Villas

From 2007-2010, Cimarelli served as Art Supervisor for the Zhongkai Sheshan Villas in Shanghai, China. Designed by ten architectural firms, the project consisted of 81 contemporary luxury villas. Four of the villas were designed by Mack Scogin of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam, architect and adjunct Professor of Architecture at Harvard University. Built with stone, marble, wood, and metal, Cimarelli oversaw the quality of materials and construction for the project.

Teaching and lectures

Cimarelli has been a visiting scholar at Wimbledon College of Art in London, England, and King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

He has lectured internationally at universities including: Sir J.J. School of Art at University of Mumbai in Mumbai, India; Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Philippines; China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, China; China Central Academy of Fine Arts and Beijing Renwen University in Beijing, China; and Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto, Canada.

Cimarelli has also been a guest speaker at the Diocesan Museum in Jesi, Italy and the Beijing International Sculpture Forum organized by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and China Sculpture Magazine in Beijing, China.

Awards

Solo exhibitions

Selected group exhibitions

Film and documentary

2005 Dionisio Cimarelli, Documentary on Oriental Television, Art Channel, Shanghai, China

Honors

2015 Permanent Residence United States [1] for Extraordinary Ability EB-1

2011 Spontini D'Oro, Maiolati Spontini, Italy