16.10.23 Gaetano Rapisardi Architetto 1893-1988

Monday, October 16, 2023, at 5:30 PM Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Rome Introduction Francesco Cellini Speakers: Roberto Dulio Mario Lupano Franco Purini This volume aims to shed light on the work of the Sicilian architect, reconstructing as comprehensive a profile as possible, in order to fill a gap that has remained incomplete for too long. Best known for the buildings of the Sapienza University—the Faculties of Letters and Law—and for the large complex of the Piazza and Basilica of Don Bosco in Tuscolano from the 1950s, Gaetano Rapisardi is remembered in historiography primarily as a trusted collaborator of Marcello Piacentini. This framework, in our view reductive, overlooks (and sometimes omits) the complexity of Rapisardi's work as well as the interesting typological challenge that saw the architect tackle an exceptional variety of themes, especially in the postwar period when Rapisardi, along with his brother Ernesto (often co-author of works), interrupted their collaboration with the Maestro (though they nevertheless maintained a very cordial relationship). This study has attempted to reconstruct his entire oeuvre, which includes over 150 works known to date, some of which are only referenced through correspondence or archival documents. Rapisardi's designs and projects span a very broad time span, from the early 1920s to the early 1970s, thus spanning over fifty years of professional activity. Despite his tireless work in drawing, design, and construction, unfortunately, there is no equally intense theoretical output (with the exception of a few project reports), which has contributed to the ambiguous interpretation of his work. Indeed, as far as we know from the rare direct testimonies collected, Rapisardi was primarily devoted to design and drawing, so absorbed that he did not find the time to systematize his work within a theoretical corpus. This does not, of course, imply that these works lacked "critical depth," as has sometimes been unfairly implied. This volume is published with the support of the Department of History, Drawing, and Restoration of Architecture at Sapienza University of Rome. Clementina Barucci (Rome 1948), architect, taught History of Contemporary Architecture at Sapienza University of Rome. Her interests include the history of architecture and the city between the 18th and 20th centuries, topics on which she has participated in numerous conferences both in Italy and abroad and published volumes and essays in specialized journals. She has conducted studies on foundation cities, Italian textbook literature, and the history of techniques. Her publications include: Principi urbanistica degli Stati italiani. From the Mid-Eighteenth Century to the Restoration, (edited by) with G. Corsani, P.L. Palazzuoli, “History of Urban Planning,” XL, S. III, 12/2020; Italian Architects in Albania. 1914-1943, with L. Posca, Clear, 2013; Virginio Vespignani 1808-1882. Architect between the Papal States and the Kingdom of Italy, Argos, 2006. Marco Falsetti (Cosenza 1984), architect and PhD, is an adjunct professor at Sapienza University of Rome. His research focuses on urban morphology, the identity fragments of the modern city, and the role of great masters in shaping contemporary design consciousness. His publications include: Annodamenti. The Specialization of Urban Fabrics in the Formative Process and in the Project, FrancoAngeli 2017; Rome and the Legacy of Louis I. Kahn, Routledge (with E. Barizza), 2018; Landscapes Beyond the Landscape, LetteraVentidue, 2019; Kenzo Tange. The Years of the Formal Revolution 1940-1970 (with G. Ciotoli), FrancoAngeli, 2021; Mare Crisium. Design Operations 2012-2022 (LetteraVentidue 2022). Gaetano Rapisardi. Architect 1893-1988, edited by C. Barucci and M. Falsetti, Campisano Editore, Rome 2022 Cover: The recently completed Basilica of San Giovanni Bosco, side view, ca. 1965, Archivio Salesiano Centrale, Rome