Corrado Mezzana
Life
The artist and designer Corrado Mezzana was born on 7.6.1890 in rom as the son of a postal official. Already as a high school student, his artistic career began with drawings and paintings. From 1908 to 1912 he studied at the Art Institute and the University of Rome. During World War I he was an artillery officer and in 1919 he married his wife Albertina Giorelli. They had six children.
From 1919 to 1922 he worked as a designer for the company Tespi-Film in Rome and for various magazines. In the meantime, a large number of artistic works had been created, which made Corrado Mezzana a well-known personality. From about 1930, Mezzana received orders for stamp designs from the Italian postal administration. As a result, more than 200 designs were produced for various editions, including well-known airmail and zeppelin editions and free-brand series. The last designs were made in the year of his death in 1952. His artistic stamp estate was held in family ownership in Francfort, Kentucky, and only sold in the year 2019. Many proofs of the brand series designed by Mezzana can be found in the post museums of Italy and the Vatican.
Corrado Mezzana was a member of the Roman artists and scholars, Gruppo dei Romanisti, founded in 1929, which enjoyed great prestige. Corrado Mezzana died in Rome on 15.9.1952. The city of Rome honoured his work with an exhibition of his stamp designs, which was visited by the most prominent citizens of the city. A weekly report on this exhibition is available on Youtube under the keyword "Retrospettiva di Corrado Mezzana". On the occasion of the return of his centenary in 1990, the Italian Post Office honoured him with a special stamp, which was reproduced on the title page of a book on stamp art published by the Postage Stamp Administration. In Rome, a street was named after him.
1932
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1933
 Pencil sketch for air mail stamps Holy Year |
1938
 Pencil sketch for 1.25L Proclamation of the Italian Empire |
 Pencil sketch for 1.75L Proclamation of the Italian Empire |
1942
 Pencil/ink design for Galileo Galilei's 300th anniversary of death - unadopted |
 20c - Photo essay Galileo 300th anniversary of death - value changed to 25c |
 50c - Photo essay Galileo 300th anniversary of death |
 1L25 - Photo essay Galileo 300th anniversary of death |
1946
 5L - Design for Milano Fair 1946 - not issued -- Exhibition sheet |
1952
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IO LIONARDO - Rediscover The World Through The Eyes Of Leonardo Da Vinci - Eva Zehenter (German)
