Livio Benedetti

Livio was born in Italy, in Verona in 1946. Even though he only spent a few years in his native Veneto, his homeland has always meant a lot to him. Great pride and admiration for his first country, from the great masters of the Renaissance to the beautiful simplicity of what he considered to be the best cuisine in the world. In 1949, the Benedetti family, Gino and Maria, who rest not far in the cemetery of Myans, Marie the big sister, Robert the little brother and Livio set sail for France and Savoy. (...) After a few years the family will settle in Myans, where Gino, the father, helped by Livio and Robert, will build the family house located a few steps from this church. Gino was a mason and this will have been such an important element for Livio. Livio always defined himself as a mason, even before defining himself as a sculptor. He claimed to belong to this family of builders. (...) Livio followed studies of "higher technician" in building, continuity of this trade of mason, to join in the continuation of his father. He was a model student. Few of us were there to verify… and for proof, it suffices to remember his Tour de France reserved for the best students from each department, which will end at the Hotel Matignon. This will be the first meeting of Mr Pierre Dumas, then Secretary of State. (...) From 1975, Livio set up his Workshop in Chambery, where he spent most of his time. He had decided that Sculpture would be his life, he worked there relentlessly, then in incredible conditions, with the means that were available to him, the rue Basse du Château as a theater, at the foot of the Château des Ducs where his work comes from. to be celebrated, like a nod to the origins. He also built many friendships there, as he did wherever he went. It was only much later, in 1989, that Livio settled on the slopes of Mount Granier in Apremont, in this farm bought in ruins with the help of Robert and Florence, and rebuilt stone by stone to become the wonderful workshop that many [...] know. Livio's life was far too rich and generous to describe it in a few lines. There are, however, areas that cannot be forgotten. In 1982, Livio met Hugo, the creator of comics, the father of Corto Maltese. Hugo Pratt was for Livio the friend, but also a second father, a permanent inspiration, a requirement equal to his, a poetry of the most beautiful, a precision in the line equal to that of Livio in the forms, a disgust for mediocrity, absolute discretion too. Little by little, his life as an artist was recognized, starting in the mid-nineties, and finally allowed him to start making a living from his profession. With the help of some friends who will recognize each other, he managed to develop his work beyond the small circle of initiates, to make it discover beyond borders. His work imposed itself, by dint of evidence, as a major work of great diversity, modern and classical at the same time, timeless, free and inhabited, which touches all audiences. Numerous sculptures bear witness to this and will bear witness to it for many years to come, from the Sarrazine that can be admired on the shores of Lake Tigne, to the Last of the Just in Aix les Bains. From the Lady of the Wind placed at Savoie Technolac, to the bust of Monsieur Pierre Dumas visible at the entrance to the Fréjus tunnel. His life as a man was just as rich. It was part of the constancy. The constancy of the requirement, but also the constancy of generosity, both with his family and his friends. Infinite generosity, unparalleled warmth, permanent friendliness, allied to a real curiosity about others. It was part of freedom too; the freedom to think and the freedom to exist, beyond received ideas, beyond currents, beyond patterns. And no one forgets his strong character. This guy that he was will have made more than one drool. In 2010, Livio was attacked by the disease. He gave her no respite until less than a week ago [Livio died in 2013]. He fought the enemy like a lion, with the strength that has always characterized him, and this without ever withdrawing from what he was, without ever ceasing to exist. His very close relations, who accompanied him on a daily basis for the past few months and whose love and help were invaluable, can attest to this: they will never have heard him complain, never will they have heard him abdicate. He always kept his generous line, which has carried us, carries us and will carry us through memory and through his works. 2010 first retrospective of the work of Livio Benedetti at the castle of the Dukes of Savoy in Chambéry. 2015 creation of an Artistic Prize Livio Benedetti 2017 second retrospective of the work of Livio Benedetti in the City of Chambéry. Exhibition of monumental pieces. Conferences.