Giorgio de Chirico  (Italian, 1888-1978) 

Giorgio De Chirico (Italian, July 10, 1888–November 20, 1978) was a notable Surrealist painter and graphic artist who founded the Metaphysical Art movement. He was born in Volos, a coastal city of Thessaly, and was encouraged by his father from a young age to cultivate a passion for art. In 1906, De Chirico enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Once he moved to Germany, De Chirico exposed himself to the latest philosophical, literary, and artistic culture. He read authors such as Arthur Schopenhauer, Otto Weininger, and Friedrich Nietzsche while also studying the art of Arnold Böcklin (Swiss, 1827–1901) and Max Klinger (German, 1857–1920). These influences helped De Chirico develop his style after he moved back to Italy in 1908, where he created the first painting associated with the Metaphysical Art Movement: Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon.

In July 1911, De Chirico traveled to Paris, where his artistic career blossomed. He was able to gain a connection, through his brother, with Pierre Laprande, a jury member at the Salon d'Automne. During this time, he exhibited three works at the Salon d'Automne: Enigma of an Afternoon, , and Enigma of the Oracle, which even gained the interest of Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). De Chirico's fame stemmed from the Surrealist qualities inherent in his works. The cityscapes were treated not as bustling urban areas, but as the eerily empty scenes encountered in dreams, with the potential of symbolic meaning. De Chirico also favored the depiction of Italian architecture with its broad archways and piazzas. However, he disapproved of the formal innovations of Modern Art and instead opted for a realism that allowed simple, straightforward representation. After the start of the First World War, the artist attempted to enlist in the Italian army but was labeled as "unfit" for work. Instead, he moved to Rome and continued his life as an outspoken painter against Modern Art, eventually writing an article in the magazine Valori Plastici called "The Return of Craftsmanship." The article supports his love of Classicism and the style of the Old Masters such as Raphael (Italian, 1483–1520).

In 1929, De Chirico published the novel Hebdòmeros, the Metaphysician. Twenty years later, the artist bought a house with his second wife Isabella Pakszwer Far near the Spanish Steps in Rome, which later became a museum for his works. He managed to remain productive up until the 1970s. He was elected to the French Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1974, and died in Rome on November 20, 1978.