by Enrico Maria Davoli
On July 3, 2026, sculptor and restorer Augusto Giuffredi passed away. Born in 1952 in Montecchio Emilia (RE), he had always lived there, though he traveled extensively both in Italy and abroad. An outstanding specialist in the restoration of stone, plaster, stucco, and terracotta, he had long worked on behalf of cultural heritage authorities and local governments, as well as museums and private collections. He had taught in the restoration courses at the academies of fine arts in Naples, Milan, Carrara, and Bologna. At these institutions, he left a profound mark, both in shaping the educational and curricular programs and through his scientific and methodological contributions, providing exemplary documentation of his work on the artworks, testing innovative solutions, and publishing important essays on the techniques of sculpture, modeling, and casting. But he will be long remembered, not least for the invaluable wealth of knowledge, dedication, and rigor he passed on to generations of young restorers trained under his guidance. Following in his father’s footsteps (Armando Giuffredi was a nationally renowned sculptor and medalist), his sculptural work ranges from marble to bronze to ceramics, and displays great originality, inseparable from his engagement with traditions from around the world, which guided him in an extraordinarily vibrant relationship with materials and technical processes. In his vision, the restorer and the creator of original works coexisted and complemented one another, and topics of travel, discovery, and reuse served as gateways to a rich symbolic universe. With the characteristic blend of generosity and reserve that was his own, Augusto had also found the time to contribute several articles to FD. His was a boundless culture, one he did not flaunt with words but conveyed through the experience that permeated his every gesture.
Homepage: Augusto Giuffredi, Well-curb, 2010, assembled sculpture of pre-processed marbles from different ages and sources, ∅ 120 cm, Montecchio Emilia, Casa Cavezzi (photo credits Elena Boniburini).