Wright Auction

Andrea Spadini was born in Italy in 1912. His father, Armando Spadini, was a well-known regional painter. Andrea pursued the arts from a young age, particularly sculpture, and was inspired by the classical forms of antiquity. He studied at the Libero Andreotti in Florence and made his first major debut of work at the Italian Pavilion at the Universal Exposition in New York in 1939. By the 1950s, his work had gained popularity in the United States, particularly among Hollywood elite, who were charmed by Spadini’s blending of classical motifs with whimsical subject matter. In 1960 he began a partnership with Tiffany, creating ceramics, bronzes and re-imaginations of seventeenth century silver pieces. In 1965, he was commissioned by the publishing magnate George Delacorte to create bronzes of dancing animals (a common subject matter in his work) to adorn the Delacorte Clock at the Children’s Zoo in Central Park, which still stand today. Spadini passed away in 1983, leaving behind a body of work that continues to delight.