 Ferro (Milone), CesareBorn in Turin, Cesare Ferro Milone enrolled at the Accademia Albertina delle Belle Arti in 1894, where he studied under the mentorship of painters Giacomo Grosso and Pier Celestino Gilardi until 1899. Specializing in portraits and landscapes, he showed his first pieces at the Societa' promotrice delle Belle Arti in Turin in 1898 and the Circolo torinese degli artisti in 1901. He traveled to Thailand (then Siam) extensively, and between 1904 and 1907 he played a major role in the decoration of the Royal Palace in Bangkok. He created large frescos based on local mythological legends, and various oil paintings, including the Leggenda delle Kimara. In 1910 he was hired as professor adjunct of painting at the Accademia Albertina, a post he kept until 1921. In 1922 he was named Professor of drawing at the Accademia. In 1925, he returned to Thailand to help decorate the palace of Prince Norashing in Bangkok. On that occasion, he painted the portrait of the Queen Mother, Swang Wedona. In 1930, he was named President of the Accademia, a position he held until 1933. Ferro participated to numerous important exhibitions such as the Venice Biennali of 1903, 1905, 1910, 1920, 1922 and 1926. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including a gold medal at the first Biennale in Naples and at the 1904 Paris Salon, and the Principe Umberto Award at the "Esposizione di Brera" in 1908 with "Ritratto di Signora." Among his most successful paintings are: "Sole d'inverno" (1915, Galleria civica d'Arte moderna, Torino); "L'ora del bagno" (Lugaro, 1935, table 32); "Ritratto di famiglia" (1932, Galleria civica d'Arte moderna, Torino ), From 1924 to 1934 he taught etching at the Accademia Albertina. He died in a car crash in 1934. On the occasion of Turin 1911, he was asked to work in the Pavilion of Siam, where he realized the decorative paintings in the main hall. Ninety-six of his Siam-inspired watercolors and sketches were displayed in the Pavilion of Siam. Ten of these works are now at the Galleria Civica d'arte moderna in Turin. See also: Eraldo Bellini. Pittori piemontesi dell'Ottocento e del Primo Novecento. Torino: Libreria piemontese editrice. 1998. Dragone Angelo and Dragone Conti Jolanda . I paesisti piemontesi dell'Ottocento. Milan: Istituto grafico Bertieri 1947. 224. 257.
A. M. Comanducci. Dizionario illustrato dei pittori, disegnatori e incisori italiani moderni e contemporanei. Third edition. Eds: Luigi Pelandi and Luigi Servolini. Milan: Leonilde Patuzzi, 1962. 698 Cristina Giudice. "Ferro Milone, Carlo Cesare." Dizionario biografico degli Italiani. Vol 47 (1997). E. Lugaro. Cesare Ferro. Bergamo: Istituto Italiano d'arti grafiche, 1935. Angelo Mistrangelo. Cesare Ferro Milone: la magia del colore tra Torino e Bangkok. Torino: Albertina Press, 2018. https://arteoggiblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/01/una-mostra-su-cesare-ferro-milone-a-torino/
 Gerini, Gerolamo EmilioGerolamo Gerini graduated from the Modena military academy in 1878, and upon discovering that the Royal Army of Siam was looking for European officers to train their soldiers, he decided to enlist. He joined the army of Siam as a lieutenant in charge of training cadets. A prolific writers, Gerini wrote several volumes on the culture, customs, history, archaeology, language, and religion of Siam and was a regular contributor to the Asiatic Quarterly Review. His essay on the archaeology of Siam appeared in The Kingdom of Siam 1904, that A. Cecil Carter edited for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In 1911, Gerini collaborated with the Royal Siamese Commission for Foreign Exhibitions in the preparation of the exhibits for the Pavilion of Siam. The Executive Committee for the Siamese exhibit in Turin was composed of Gerini himself (Commissioner-General), A. Rigotti (Techinical Director for the building of the Pavilion), and G. Vigna del Ferro (Secretary).
 Musso, EmilioOn the occasion of Turin 1911,the painter and sculptor Emilio Musso made the stucco decorations of the Pavilion of Siam. Student of the Piemontese sculptor Rubini, Musso actively worked as both painter and sculptor: in the first case, focused his production on still life paintings and portraits; in the second case, he mainly produced memorial monuments, and funeral and religious statues. He participated in many group exhibits at "Circolo degli artisti" in Turin (1922,1925-1927, 1939-1941) and at "Promotrice dell'Arte" (since 1922).
 Rigotti, AnnibaleAnnibale Rigotti graduated from the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti in Turin in 1890. His interest for the architecture of the Expositions dates back to 1902, when he participated in the designs for the Esposizione di Arte Decorativa Moderna, in Turin, and 1906, when he earned the second prize in a competition to design a Palazzo delle Esposizioni for the Esposizione del Sempione in Milan. In 1907, he travelled to Siam (currently Thailand), where he collaborated with Italian architect Mario Tamagno and engineer Carlo Allegri to design the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. He returned to Italy in 1909. In 1923 he went to Bangkok again, staying till 1926. He designed Villa Norasingh and the gardens of Saranrom Palace, and served as the chief architect for the Public Works Department. After returning to Turin, he designed with his son Giorgio Rigotti the Palazzo a Vela in 1961. Rigotti held several teaching positions, including Professor of Industrial drawing at the Istituto Tecnico G. Sommeiller (1893-1923). He also taught at the Politecnico of Turin, and at the Regia Scuola di Architettura di Torino from 1931-1933.
 Tamagno, MarioMario Tamagno was educated at the Accademia Albertina in Turin, where he taught for five years after graduating in 1895. In 1900, he traveled to Siam (today’s Thailand) to work for the Siamese government. There, he collaborated with another Italian architect, Annibale Rigotti, to create important buildings in Bangkok. In 1907, Rigotti and Tamagno designed the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall in the Royal Plaza, a spectacular domed structure completed in 1915. Tamagno also built the Suan Kularb Residential Hall and Throne Hall in Dusit Garden, and the Hua Lampong Railway Station in 1910-1912. In 1913 King Rama VI (1910 – 1925) entrusted Tamagno and Rigotti with the reconstruction of the Santa Cruz Church (the Portuguese church was first built in 1770 and rebuilt in 1835). Tamagno also contributed to building the Neilson Hays Library in Surawongse Road. After completion of his first government contract in 1925, he was asked to continue on, and the Siamese government commissioned him to complete the Villa Norasing (today’s House of Government). He designed the Pavilion of Siam for the 1911 Exposition in Turin. He returned to Italy in May 1926. |