The portrait of Egidio Meneghetti, a work by Tono Zancanaro
Acquired through a donation from Galleria Maco Arte to the University of Padua in the spring of 2023, the large portrait in ink on plywood of Egidio Meneghetti (200x150 cm) is a little-known work by the Paduan artist Tono Zancanaro, dating back to 1966, which celebrates the profound bond between the painter and the former Rector of the Ateneo five years after his death.
A central figure in the history of the University and in that of the Italian Resistance, Egidio Meneghetti (1892-1961) was a scientist, poet and patriot, the protagonist of a journey that led him from Risorgimento ideals to his commitment to the Partito d’Azione and to the founding of the Venetian National Liberation Committee.
In the portrait dedicated to him by Zancanaro, the austere face of “Antenore Foresta”, Meneghetti’s nom de guerre, is accompanied by a series of books bearing the titles of several of his poetry collections in the Veronese dialect, which had often been illustrated precisely by his artist friend.
The work is now displayed at Palazzo del Bo, on the first floor of the section overlooking the Cortile Antico.
