From left Alessandro Del Puppo and Arrigo Poz’s daughters, Donatella, Annamaria and Alessandra, and Martina Visentin
The archive of the Friulian painter Arrigo Poz (Porpetto, 1929 – Risano, 2015) was donated to the Department of Humanistic Studies and Cultural Heritage of the University of Udine. The archive holds projects, drawings, letters and documents from over fifty years of activity. According to the wishes of the daughters Alessandra, Annamaria and Donatella, the Poz archive, known in particular for its important production in the field of sacred art, will be available for research and teaching activities. It will also be possible to consult the materials upon reservation. The archive was entrusted to the IT laboratory for historical-artistic documentation (Lida) to also be valorised in the internship activities organized by Martina Visentin, head of the laboratory.
«The University – explains the president of the Artistic Heritage Commission of the Friulian University, Alessandro Del Puppo – already owned “Friuli, una sera e poi…” by Maestro Poz from 1977, an important portfolio of lithographs dedicated to the earthquake and reconstruction , today entirely exhibited in the Gusmani room of Palazzo Antonini following the artist’s donation on the occasion of the University’s thirtieth anniversary. The acquisition of the archive is a far-sighted and generous act that will allow us to start studies and research on the topic of sacred art and post-conciliar iconography to which the master made a decisive contribution in the second half of the twentieth century.”
Arrigo Poz was born in Castello di Porpetto on 2 July 1929. In 1946 he met Giuseppe Zigaina and frequented his studio for five years; he adheres to neorealism and participates in the cultural meetings of young Friulian intellectuals held in Vicolo Florio in Udine. In 1948 he entered the artistic high school of Venice, then took the private exam. In 1950 he presented his first solo exhibition in Palmanova. In 1960 he moved with his family to Udine, creating paintings, stained glass windows and mosaics for the churches in the region. He died in Risano in 2015.
