Carlo Someda de Marco

Carlo Someda de Marco was born at Mereto di Tomba (Udine) on November 14th 1891 in a high society family of Friuli. Since his youth he was interested in art historical studies. In October 1913 he was admitted to the Fine Arts Institute of Venice (Istituto di Belle Arti di Venezia), where he followed courses on decorative arts, on the study of nude, landscape and engraving. During WW1 he served at Bologna in the 3rd Artillery Regiment.
In 1919 he obtained the diploma of decorative arts at the Academy of Venice and graduated for the teaching of drawing in high schools. Until 1923 he taught ornamental design at Venice, where he also began an activity in decorative art. Between 1921 and 1922 Someda de Marco worked at the interior decoration of the Caffè Contarena in Udine, designed by Raimondo D´Aronco. Between 1926 and 1935 he was also active as designer for the periodical “La Panarie”. Several of his covers show the strong influence of the Wiener Secession.

From 1923 to 1927 Someda de Marco had the chair of decorative art on wall at the Fine Arts Institute of Modena (Istituto di Belle Arti di Modena); in that same 1927 he also worked at the design of the “Salone del Consiglio” of the saving bank at Verona, still perfectly preserved.
In 1928 he moved to Venice as teacher of ornamental art in the Art High School (Liceo Artistico). In 1931 he was appointed director of the Udine museum (Museo e delle Gallerie d´arte antica e moderna). He reordered the museum´s collections, by creating new sections, and the photo archive. The results of his work and of his reaearches will be published in the catalogue of the museum (Il Museo civico e le Gallerie d´arte antica e moderna di Udine), published in 1956.
In 1939 Someda collaborated with the art historian Bruno Molajoli and the architect Cesare Miani for the seminal exhibition on Pordenone, with peculiar attention towards museographic issues such as lighting and visibility; with these issues, inspired by the most recent exhibiting criteria, he dealt in a speech addressed at the “Accademia di Scienze, Lettere e Arti di Udine” on February 8th, 1942

On May 15th, 1940 the Superintendent of Venezia Giulia, Fausto Franco, appointed him as director of the protection of works of art in the North-Eastern area and as head for the anti-air protection of monuments in the province of Udine.
During the five following years, Someda worked zealously for the defence of the art heritage of Friuli, both from bombing war and (since September 1943) from the risks of Nazi plunder. He recorded his activities in this field almost day by day in his Diary
In spite of wartime, in 1941, he organized a huge exhibitionon folks art: Mostra delle arti popolari del Friuli, della Venezia Giulia e della Marca Trevigiana.

After WW2 Someda de Marco, while continuing in his role as museum director, through his researches promoted the art and cultural heritage of Friuli, by organizing several exhibitions (Mostra di sei capolavori d´arte veneta in 1947, Cinque secoli della pittura friulana in 1948, Mostra degli artisti friulani a Klagenfurt in 1951). In 1958 Someda retired and devoted the last years of his life to the preparation of important publications, such as: Palazzo della Provincia di Udine in 1958, Campane antiche della Venezia Giulia in 1961, Il Duomo di Udine in 1971.
In 1975 he died at Udine, soon after finishing his last publication on Palazzo Strassoldo.

Bibliography:

Carlo Someda de Marco. Dall´arte alla tutela delle opere, ed. by G. Bucco, Udine, 2006
G. Bucco, in Dizionario Biografico dei Friulani, Udine 2011, ad vocem: Carlo Someda de Marco (www.dizionariobiograficodeifriulani.it)