Paese Jugoslavo, 1983, rif. 480
Etching inches 9.5 x 19.3 (mm 243 x 492). Contemporary Art
Italian landscape, Lanca Gelata, rif. 405
Original etching, signed and numbered. Limited edition of 90.
Master Etcher of Italian Landscape and Soul
Federica Galli (1932–2009) stands among Italy’s most celebrated engravers, a true master of etching whose artworks capture the poetic essence of the Italian landscape with unmatched precision and sensitivity.
Born in Soresina, near Cremona, Galli’s artistic journey began in post-war Milan. In 1946, she enrolled at the Artistic Lyceum and, soon after, at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, where she graduated in painting in 1954. That same year, she created her first etching, Il paese dell’Alberta, marking the beginning of a lifelong dedication to this intricate technique.
From the 1960s onward, Galli refined her distinctive voice in etching, a language through which she expressed both technical mastery and emotional depth.
Her subjects, ranging from the vast Lombard plains and Venetian canals to the towering trees that became her emblem, reflect a profound connection with nature and place.
Married in 1966 to Giovanni Raimondi, editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera, Galli travelled extensively across Europe and beyond, absorbing artistic influences while championing the art of engraving in places where it was little known. Over five decades, she produced more than eight hundred plates, a monumental oeuvre that established her as one of the foremost printmakers of her time.
Her exhibitions, beginning with her first solo show in Milan in 1960, earned widespread acclaim from collectors and critics alike. Admirers of her work include some of Italy’s most respected art historians and curators, such as Franco Russoli, Giovanni Testori, Mina Gregori, Carlo Bo, and David Landau of Oxford University.
In 2019, ten years after her passing, the City of Milan celebrated her legacy with a major institutional retrospective, The Green Grand Tour, and honoured her memory by naming a street after her, a rare tribute to an artist whose work continues to resonate deeply with collectors and art lovers worldwide.
Federica Galli’s etchings are represented in prestigious public collections, including:
* The British Museum, London
* National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
* The Uffizi Galleries, Florence
* Museo del Castello Sforzesco, Milan
Her etchings, both lyrical and exacting, invite viewers into an intimate dialogue with the Italian landscape, transforming observation into poetry. Owning a work by Federica Galli means possessing a piece of Italian artistic heritage, a timeless reflection of beauty, nature, and mastery in printmaking.