Francesca Guicciardini

Decorative painter

If walls could talk

Francesca specialises in chinoiserie, tropical landscapes and animals
Her main inspirations are Florentine art and her trips to Asia
She recently collaborated with the designer Roberto Cavalli

As a young girl, raised in one of the oldest Florentine families, Francesca Guicciardini began by painting the walls of her mother’s home, and it was while still studying at the Art Institute in Florence that she started to receive her first commissions. Over the years, she has applied her talent to walls all around Italy. She has painted Florentine apartments, ancient Roman villas, Tuscan country homes, and public spaces. Then her life took another turn. She moved to Rome and focused on graphic design and film editing. She ended up at the Cinecittà Studios directing short documentaries. At that time, she started travelling extensively around Asia and her first passion, painting, once again guided her life.

Interview

Is travelling your main source of inspiration?: I have been to some of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth. A trip could last up to a whole year. I always took with me my painting tools and I acquired an extraordinary collection of the various decorative themes and patterns that I encountered along the way.
How do you use your knowledge today?: In my paintings, I try to combine my graphics studies with the oriental art I absorbed during my trips, without forgetting the Florentine Renaissance that most of all inspired me during my training.
When did you realise that painting could be your career?: Since I was a child, I thought that I wanted to paint, but only at 22 did I realise that my medium was the brush, and not the computer. I chose this profession out of pure vocation, I couldn’t have done anything else.
Did growing up in Florence influence you?: I learned this craft mainly by looking at the wonderful frescoes in Florentine villas and churches, following in the footsteps of the Corsini sisters. If I hadn’t been born in Florence, I probably wouldn’t have followed this path. My choice was guided by my city and by the beauty I saw every day around me.

Francesca Guicciardini is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1999