Luigi Secchi scultore (1853-1921) : il sodalizio con Luca Beltrami e i monumenti pubblici

The paper offers a tribute to the knowledge of the sculptor Luigi Secchi (Cremone, 1853 - Miazzina, 1921), who worked in Milan between the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The only informations still available about the artist were written by Luca Beltrami in an important monographic book in 1923, though as a tribute to a valid collaborator in several occasions and a respected friend too. This brotherhood, both professional and personal, offered Secchi the possibility of working in several public monuments, which were designed by the architect Beltrami, or in situations where Beltrami had the power to decide: palazzo Marino in piazza della Scala (Milan townhall), the monument to poet Giuseppe Parini in piazza Cordusio, the tower of Sforza Castle (rebuilt as a monument to king Umberto), and also the monument to Giuseppe Verdi in the town of Busseto and so on.
Combining the great deal of unpublished informations about the sculptor, which were collected for a recent specialization thesis, and other bibliographic references, the paper illustrates a first study about Luigi Secchi, starting with his artistic formation at the Accademia di Brera and the participation to the annual expositions, then with some case study of public monuments, showing the close relationship between Luigi Secchi and Luca Beltrami. In conclusion there are the list of the known artist’s works and the list of Secchi’s sculptures at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano.