Biography
Anita Bischoff Urbano
Anita Bischoff was born in Switzerland on December 2, 1936 in Scuol - Schuls, in the Lower Engadine of the Canton of Grisons, daughter with four other sisters of Ludovica Roner and Gisep, a master blacksmith, and therefore has art in her blood.
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In 1964 she met Urbano Quinto (Rhodes Aegean, Greece, 1933 - Novara, Italy, 1997) in a restaurant in Lugano - Switzerland, whom she then married on July 1, 1970, and moved to Novara - Italy for love.
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Urbano Quinto was, as well as writer, one of the most important art dealers and collectors in European history. His primary specialization was that of Medieval and Renaissance Art.
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On September 15, 1968, the first and only son Mauro Urbano was born in Mendrisio - Switzerland.
Anita Bischoff Urbano
She is a collector and lover of the art of the Middle Age, the Renaissance and the Baroque, especially the holy sculptures of the crucified Christ, rarely polychrome, with particular attention for those made in wooden essence of boxwood.
The collection also includes iron, wood, copper, stone, bronze and ivory masterpieces works of art of Medieval and Renaissance.
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From her husband she also inherits the love for American Pop Art of the 70s and 80s of which she is collector.
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Among others, she met Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring through her husband who was a personal friend of theirs.
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She is portrayed and photographed several times by Andy Warhol with his famous Polaroids, drawn four times in the New York City Subway by Keith Haring, during his impromptu executions in the empty advertising spaces and depicted by Jean-Michel Basquiat together with her husband and son Mauro in the series of drawings "Swiss Lady, Swiss Boy and Urb" initially created to be glued on canvas. There are also unpublished and yet to be historicized portraits on paper of Anita made by Pablo Picasso and René Magritte.
Anita Bischoff Urbano
She is also writer and author, together with her son Mauro, of the latest editions of the box set of “Gli Antichi Segreti del Fabbro - The Ancient Blacksmith Secrets" and the biographical book published in the first edition in 1998 and in second edition in 1999 “Urbano Quinto Cuore di Ferro – Urbano Quinto Iron Heart". This book describes part of the public life of Urbano Quinto. The New York period and relationships with modern and contemporary artists have been deliberately omitted in this book. Urbano Quinto expressly requested not to divulge this topic for at least 20 years after his departure. His escalation in the Olympus of antiques had been so difficult, since he was a self-made man, that he didn't want his passion for Pop Art and these friendships could overshadow his international fame. In fact, in the 70s and 80s these artists certainly didn't have the consideration, especially in Italy, that they have now. A certain caste of antique dealers and experts considered, not understanding it, this form of art as controversial, unacceptable, miserably serial and branded its creators, snubbing them, as mere frivolous eccentrics snake oil salesmen.
Anita Bischoff Urbano
Her writings are conserved and available in major libraries around the world including the New York Public Library into "The Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection", The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, Library of Congress – Washington, The British Library St. Pancras in London and the "Kunsthistorisches Institut" of Florence, one of the earliest research centers in the history of art and architecture in Italy.
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Among the initiatives planned for 2025 there will be the publication of the book, by Anita Bischoff Urbano and Mauro Urbano, "The World of Urbano Quinto" that also will contain the "Urbano Quinto's American Diaries (1977 - 1987)". In this book they will be published photographs and polaroids with Urbano Quinto, Anita Bischoff Urbano and Mauro Urbano never seen before with and by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The publication, by Anita Bischoff Urbano and Mauro Urbano, of the book "Masterpieces of the Middle Age and the Renaissance from the Urbano Quinto Collection" is also planned. These books by Mauro Urbano and Anita Bischoff Urbano scheduled for 2024, have been postponed to 2025 because an international cultural exhibition will be organized by Urbano Quinto Heritage, Dover, DE, USA. In the exhibition event, scheduled for the summer of 2025 in Italy, over sixty never-before-seen works from the Private Collection of the Urbano Quinto Heritage will be exhibited to the public for the first time.
Stay tuned!
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Anita Bischoff Urbano
Faithful of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was in contact, during her husband's illness and later, with Fra Modestino of Pietrelcina who will soon be beatified.
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An admirer of music and singing, she is a friend of the Maestro Herbert Von Karajan and the soprano Edita Gruberova who frequented the Gallery and her home. She also greatly admires the Maestro Mario del Monaco, of whom among others, she prefers the execution of Un Amore Così Grande – A Love So Great and the Maestro Andrea Bocelli, both also much loved by her husband, Urbano Quinto.
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Passionate about all sports with a predilection for skiing that she practiced when was young in her native mountains of Graubünden, cycling, track and field and football, of which she is a fan of Juventus of Turin.
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Lover of animals, cats and dogs. Her cat Cleo and her dogs Pucci, a Maltese and a Yorkshire, both photographed by Andy Warhol with his Polaroids, are always in his thoughts.
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Anita Bischoff Urbano
Philanthropist, she has always been privately involved in various causes through support for international charities associations.
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In 2022 Anita was honored with the portrait of UMA - The Secret Artist. This mysterious artist, who cannot be commissioned portraits, personally chooses emblematic figures from the present and the past and interprets their faces with works of digital art in homage to the American Pop Art of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
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Anita Bischoff Urbano founded in USA, together with Mauro Urbano and the other heirs, the "Urbano Quinto Heritage" in eternal memory of the life, the works and the collections of a Man with an Iron Heart.
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