Michele Busiri Vici
| Michele Busiri Vici | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 2, 1894 Rome, Italy |
| Died | February 4, 1981 (aged 86) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Architect |
Michele Busiri Vici (2 May 1894 - 4 February 1981) was an Italian architect and urban planner, belonging to the Busiri Vici (pronounced Booseeree Veechee) family of architects who have been active since the seventeenth century. A winner of the Prix de Rome, he is known for his work on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia.
Busiri Vici was born in Rome, where in 1921 he graduated from the School of Engineering. Among his earliest works is the design of the new National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography GA Sanna in Sassari, which he created with his father, Carlo. The project, built between April 1925 and December 1929, was commissioned by Zelí Castoldi Sanna, daughter of the entrepreneur and patron of the arts in Sassari Giovanni Antonio Sanna.
The Busiri Vici family includes a number of French-Italian architects formed by the union of the French Beausire family with the Vici family of Arcevia. The progenitor of the French side of the dynasty was Jean Beausire (1651–1743), whose descendants thrived as architects under the Ancien Régime. On the Italian side, Andrea Vici (1743–1817) was a second generation architect who gained regard for his work under Luigi Vanvitelli on the Palace of Caserta and later gained Vatican patronage. Andrea's daughter Barbara Vici married Beausire's descendant Giulio Cesare Busiri (1792–1818) in 1815, joining the two families as Busiri Vici. Famous members of the family include Clemente Busiri Vici (1887–1965), who designed churches for Pope Pius XI, such as Gran Madre di Dio and San Roberto Bellarmino, both in Rome. Clemente's brother Michele Busiri Vici (1894–1981) worked on the Costa Smeralda. Another brother, Andrea Busiri Vici (1903–1989), was a prominent architect, art critic and scholar who worked with his brother Clemente on San Roberto Bellarmino. Andrea and his brothers also worked on a variety of projects for the Fascist hierarchy, including the design for the Istituto Luce, a propaganda arm for the state. Clemente also helped design villas for prominent members of the Fascist leadership including the Maresciallo Pietro Badoglio.
Vici began his working life in the studio of his older brother Clemente. Between 1926-1928 they designed and built a castle for the Gaulino family in Sestri Levante and a villa-museum for the Gaulino family in Turin. Since 1945 the Villa Gaulino has been a prestigious hotel.
In 1930, this time without the collaboration of his brother, Vici created the villa Attolico near Porta Latina in Rome. With his colleague Louis Piccinato, he arranged the European parks and gardens display for the Universal Exhibition of 1942 (E42). During the same period he restored the Castle of Torrimpietra near Rome. In 1938 he was entrusted with the design and construction of gardens around the archaeological site of Ostia Antica, under the supervision of Piccinato.
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