The creation of the Ettore Sobrero Archive

As part of my work as an art expert and appraiser, I was tasked with establishing a coherent and recognizable artistic production by Ettore Sobrero, an artist active in post-World War II Europe and the United States. The goal was to create a tool that would provide the public, scholars, collectors, and market participants with a single, transparent, and authoritative point of reference.

Request: Create a unique, transparent and authoritative point of reference
Service: Creation of an artist's archive
Date: January 2019

Project objectives

  • Protection and promotion of Ettore Sobrero’s artistic work.
  • Costituzione dell’archivio ufficiale quale punto di divulgazione culturale e strumento di garanzia per il mercato dell’arte.
  • Systematic cataloging of paintings and archival documents.
  • Identifying and incorporating the appropriate corporate form.
  • Identification of members and establishment of the technical and scientific committee.
  • Creation of a dedicated web portal.

The project developed through the following phases:

  1. Preliminary research – collection of bibliographic sources, documents, exhibition catalogues, and direct and indirect testimonies.
  2. Collection of works – cataloguing of paintings from private and public collections, with stylistic and documentary comparisons.
  3. Authentication and cataloging – detailed verification of each work through technical and historical analysis, accompanied by relevant photographic documentation.
  4. Digitization and organization – building a structured and accessible archive, useful for both specialist consultation and dissemination.
  5. Web portal development – ​​design and launch of the website www.ettoresobrero.com, developed as a dynamic, constantly updated, and easy-to-use tool.

Results

  • The Ettore Sobrero Archive is today the official point of reference for understanding and promoting the artist.
  • The site provides access to certified information, strengthening transparency in the market and supporting collectors and scholars.
  • The initiative helped strengthen the preservation of the artist’s memory, placing him within the broader context of post-war Piedmontese painting.
  • The visibility obtained has created a general interest which has also manifested itself through the request to participate in the Calvino Cantafavole exhibition www.palazzoducale.genova.it/mostra/calvino-cantafavole
  • The archive, having established its high quality standards, was admitted to membership in the Italian Association of Artist Archives, with which it shares the same rules of conduct in establishing and managing the archive through the application of best practices. www.aitart.it/soci/archivi/161-archivio-ettore-sobrero

Conclusion

The creation of the Ettore Sobrero Archive represents a concrete example of a work that extends beyond expertise and consultancy, embracing research, cataloguing and valorisation of artistic memory.

Projects of this kind demonstrate the importance of a methodical, scientific, and at the same time informative approach, aimed at ensuring the conservation and transmission of artistic heritage to the future.