Francesco Jerace

1853-1937  Italian painter and sculptor.
Brother of sculptor Vincenzo and Gaetano (painter) and uncle of sculptor Fortunato Longo.
Initially studies with his maternal grandfather Francesco Morani and in 1870 he inscribes at the institute of fine arts of Napels where he attends courses taught by the sculptors Stanislao Lista and by Angelina, Altamura and Solari. His works oscillate between classicism and Neapolitan naturalism. Later on, around 1900, he moves more towards the art nouveau style.
Author of a statue of Vittorio Emanuele II (1888) on the facade of the royal Palace of Napels and of the monument to Donizetti (1897) at Bergamo. In 1910 he executes the sculpture group "Azione" for the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II at Rome. Among the other monuments he created there are the one dedicated to Francesco Fiorentino at Catanzaro, To Umberto I at Pizzo Calabro, to Luigi Campagna at Carignano Calabro and to the fallen of Sorrento. At Warsaw he sculpts the group with the Holy conversation of Saint Augustine for the church of Saint Mary. Author of several bass reliefs for the facade of the Duomo of Napels and the pulpit of the Duomo of Reggio Calabria.
He was also active in the Netherlands where he modeled a few portrait busts.
He was an honorary professor of the academies of Milan and Bologna.
He exhibited at the Promotrice di Belle Arti of Napels of 1872 and of Turin in 1877. In 1880 he exhibits in Turin with the sculptures "Victa" (Napels Civic museum), the bust Germanicus, (reproduced eight times) (Rome National museum of modern arts) and "Marion", obtaining positive critical acclaim. At Paris he presents the group "Eve and Lucifer" in 1887 and in 1891 in Palermo he presents "The Prince of Satriano", Carmosina Ercolanea", "Fiorita"and "Arianna". He exhibits several times outside Italy, in Paris, (1878, 1897, 1900), Munich (1890,1893,1895,1900,1901), Vienna (1894), Antwerp (1894), Saint Petersburg (1898,1902) Buenos Aires (1910) and San Francisco (1915) with "Victa".
He is awarded at the exhibitions of Melbourne (1880), London (1888), Barcelona (1896, 1911) and Saint Louis (1904). At the bienale of Venice of 1909 an exhibition was dedicated to his works.
His colossal group "I Romani" is housed at the National Gallery of modern art in Rome.

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