Biography
1931: Tudy Sammartini was born near Treviso, in the town of Pieve di Soligo on June 3rd. During her education, she had the opportunity of studying art history with Roberto Longhi and Roberto Papini, in Florence studied Philosophy with Nicola Abbagnano, and Architecture in Venice with Bruno Zevi, Egle Trincanato, Carlo Scarpa, Ignazio Gardella and Franco Albini.
1952: She left for Ruobero, in Kivu (then the Belgian Congo) in order to cultivate an experimental coffee plantation. Her stay in Africa turned out to be an important life experience, which was unfortunately interrupted by political disorder that upset and devastated the country.
1958: After having won a competition promoted by the Australian Embassy, she travelled throughout the entire continent holding courses on Italian Design and Architecture. She remained in Australia for one year where she focussed on interior design, spending 3 months with Aboriginal tribes in the area of Alice Spring. She later went to the country of Mexico and then to San Francisco, California, where she continued to work in well-known architecture firms.
1959:Returning to Venice, she started a twenty year collaboration with the Council of Industrial Design in London, directed by Sir Paul Reilly, and with “Architectural Design” directed by Monica Pidgeon, becoming the promoter of Italian Architects such as Carlo Scarpa, Angelo Mangiarotti, Bruno Morassuti, Gino Valle and Pinin-Farina.
1960:She started to denounce the problems of Venice, its islands and its monuments, by drawing the attention of local and foreign press and commentary. She collaborated at the time with John McAndrew for the book ‘Venetian Architecture of the Early Renaissance’, and became a member of the Committee for Publications on the History of Venice (1964). This lead to involvement with the UNESCO investigation on the deterioration of Venetian churches following the big flood (1967), and in 1987 she conducted a series of television transmissions for Rai 3 regarding some of the problematic issues of the Venetian Lagoon and its abandoned islands.
1988:The themes addressed in her television programs were collected in “The Islands of the Venetian Lagoon, an unexplored universe” in an illustrated book containing the photography of Gianni Berengo Gardin. This experience with the renowned photographer followed through into the next year when, together with Cristina Moldi Ravenna, she published “The Secret Gardens of Venice”, as the first book of a trilogy that is dedicated to some of the lesser known aspects of the city and its lagoon.
1990: Organizes the presence of Scotland in the Biennale along with Clare Henry.
1991: She participated together with Bruno Morassuti at the Biennial competition “A door for Venice” contributing the project design for a roof garden, which gained her membership to the Ateneo Veneto.
1992: Together with Nella Lopez, Royo Lina Urban and Doretta Davanzo Poli, she published “Fiori di Perle a Venezia” presented by Giovanni Sarpellon.
1995: Together with Clare Henry she organised the Scottish participation at the centennial edition of the Venice Biennial of Art.
At the Biennial that year, she also worked on the exhibit by Mark de Suvero, 7 Sculptures inserted in a Venetian Context, for which she was nominated for the Arte Laguna award.
1996:She writes ‘Hutteriti, tirolesi d’America’, with photos by Gabriella Nessi Parlato and Gianni Berengo Gardin. In the same year, her second book of the trilogy, ‘Paving in Venice’ is published.
2001: She writes in the volume ‘Ville del Piceno’, the chapter regarding the Gardens of the Ascoli Piceno region.
2002: Publication of her third book of the trilogy regarding Venetian Bell Towers and the city of Venice, seen from its bell towers.
2003: She participates with an essay on Lorenzo Lotto for the Art volume: "Venice, the Marches and the Adriatic civilization. To celebrate 90 years of Pietro Zampetti". Together with Nico Stringa she published: Marta Sammartini Sculptures, and participated with some important personal contributions to the General Catalogue of paintings by Ugo Sissa, curated by Maria Angela Tiozzi.
2004: She publishes “Venise Aquarelles” with water-colors by Fabrice Moireau.
2006: She writes the biography of the years of her youth, entitled ‘La mia terra’ memories between dreams and reality, dedicated to the anniversary of the birth of her friend Andrea Zanzotto.
She also continues writing a number of articles for periodicals such as “Design”, “Chiesa e Quartiere”, “Edilizia Moderna”, “Civiltà delle Macchine”, “Harpers Bazaar”, “Gran Bazaar”, “Novità”, “Parametro”, “Architectural Review”, “World of Interiors”, “Elle Decoration”, “Phalaris”, “Abitare”, “El Europeo”, “Figaro Magazine”, “VSD”, “Points de Vue”, l’Agenzia SAULA di Parigi, “Leo”, “Pietra antica” e “Fotostorica”. She continues collaboration with the Architectural Association of London and the New York University, where she taught Landscape Art for a number of years at the International School of Graphic Arts in Venice.
Publications in preparation:
She currently collaborates with the periodical “Lagunamare” and “Il Gazzettino illustrato”. She has a column dedicated to the life memories of illustrious personages on the web-site of the architectural and design review “Abitare” (www.abitare.com). She is currently working on the completion of five new volumes dedicated to Ligurian gardens, to the gardens that she herself designed in Venice and its islands in the lagoon, to the collection of prints, which is now on exhibit at the San Sebastiano museum (Mantua), and to the photographs taken by Ugo Sissa in Iraq. She is also in the process of developing a collection of writings contained in her column “Venetian Stories”.
