Alcestis: A Ferrara Love Story

In 1918 de Chirico painted a portrait of a woman who up till now has only been identified as “Alcestis”. The painting was part of an exhibition of his work at the Bragaglia Gallery in February 1919, where it was sold. With the recent discovery of over 100 love letters written by de Chirico in 1919 to a woman from Ferrara named Antonia Bolognesi, the identity of “Alcestis” has been confirmed. This material sheds light on the artist’s stay in Ferrara from 1915 to 1918, where he was stationed as a soldier during WWI, and his life in the immediate post-war years. Included here is a full transcription of 125 previously unpublished documents consisting of 104 letters and postcards by Giorgio de Chirico to Antonia Bolognesi; numerous historical photographs and reproductions of the original manuscripts.