Vittore Grubicy De Dragon
Born in Milan in 1851 to a Hungarian baron and an Italian noblewoman from Lodi, Vittore Grubicy De Dragon began in 1870 to work in England as an agent in the field of contemporary art, presenting paintings of the scapigliatura school. Later, together with his brother Alberto, he ran an art gallery in Milan which also publicized works by Divisionist painters.
In 1884 in Holland he began to teach himself to paint; in the following years his endeavours resulted in his using a Divisionist technique, applied intuitively and emotionally rather than scientifically.
In 1889 he handed his business over to his brother and devoted himself exclusively to painting, criticism and freelance journalism.
His favourite painting locations were the Scalve valley, Lake Lecco, Liguria, Venice and especially Miazzina in the hills above Lake Maggiore, where he often stayed after 1886, sometimes as the guest of Achille Tominetti, a painter who was a frequent visitor to the Grubicy Gallery.
In 1891 he was one of the Divisionists who took part in the First Triennale at the Brera Academy; he subsequently published a number of articles and essays defending the arguments of the “movement” from criticism.
In 1920 he died in his house in Milan.
