Renzo G. Fenci (1914–1999) was an Italian-American artist and arts educator, best known for his bronze sculpture. He worked in 1942 as a New Deal artist with the United States Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.
Biography
Fenci was born in Florence, Italy, on 18 November 1914.[1] At a young age he went to study art at the Royal Institute of Art.[1] He received a master's degree in 1932 from Instituto d'Arte Firenze (Art Institute of Florence) and studied with sculptors Libero Andriotti and Bruno Innocenti.[2][3]
He emigrated to New York City around 1937 or 1938 due to the change in politics in Europe and the rise of fascism.[1][4] Fenci lived in New York City, New York and Madison, Wisconsin before settling down in Pullman, Washington in order to teach fine art at Washington State College.[1]
He was commissioned in 1942 by the United States Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later known as The Section of Fine Arts) to create art.[5] These commissions were for the creation of a series of terra-cottabas reliefs for a post office in Easley, South Carolina, entitled “Cultivation of Corn”.[5] Originally he planned to create six bas-relief panels, but the Section would only pay for three panels and there was much difficulty in the completion of the commission.[5]
