Giorgio De Chirico (1888 - 1978) is one of the most important figures of the twentieth century. In this episode, we research a small still life. Could it possibly be a De Chirico? Modern painters like Rene Magritte, Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali each owe their unusual, surreal style to de Chirico. De Chirico was the first to start distorting perspectives and shadows, putting things in strange places: a rubber glove next to a sculpture with some odd architectural shapes. Painters before him generally painted what they saw, but de Chirico created all sorts of bizarre environments plucked from his imagination. Born in Greece he studied in Athens and Germany before settling in Italy. His paintings are hugely collectable: a large painting might sell for several million, yet even a small work could reach $40,000 at auction.
