Born in Milan in 1898, Werther Sevèr was an eclectic sculptor. After completing his studies in law, he moved to New York in 1921, and then travelled to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. In 1926, he returned to Milan to devote himself completely to sculpture. Sevèr distinguished himself for challenging public works, including the Monumental Fountain to Giuseppe Grandi in Milan. The sculptor imagines a waterfall in the centre, in front of which the statue of the young Siegfried kneels in admiration, symbolising - according to Wagnerian interpretation - the wonderment felt by man in the presence of nature. The face was reshaped several times until he arrived at the final version, characterised by an intense and evocative expression. The sculptor decided to exhibit the castings of Siegfried's torso and head at the 1936 Venice Biennale, to great public acclaim.
Exhibitions: 1936, Venice, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, XX Esposizione Internazionale della città di Venezia, room no. 23, no. 6 Literature: XX Esposizione Internazionale della città di Venezia, exhibition catalogue, Venice 1936, no. 6, p. 90; G. Nicodemi, Werther Sevèr, Milan 1940, table XVI; A. Panzetta, Nuovo dizionario degli scultori italiani dell'Ottocento e del primo Novecento. Da Antonio Canova ad Arturo Martini (M-Z), Turin 2003, p. 849 (op. cit.).
