HOME | DD

Description
This portrait depicts the Italian statesman Giulio Andreotti (Rome, Jenuary 14th 1919 - May 6th 2013). Leading figure of centrist Christian Democracy party (aka DC), he was one of the main and most controversial political personalities of the so-called "First Italian Republic".
During his long life he was continuously MP, since the birth of Italian Republic in 1946 until his death. He served seven times as Prime Minister of Italy in 70s, 80s and early 90s, facing the hard and turbolent years of homegrown terrorism, the end of Cold War and the birth of EU. He also served many times as Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Interior Minister and Treasury Minister in various cabinets since 50s. In 1991 he was appointed Senator for life, an honor bestowed "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field" by the President of Italian Republic (art.59/2 of Italian Constitution). His personal involvement in cabinet matters lasted until 1992, when his DC party crushed under hundreds of corruption scaldals. Later he was even accused of being involved with Italian Mafia and with the assassinations of a journalist and a carabinieri general, but he was completely cleared of all charges in 2003 after a ten-years-long trial.
He was a devoted Catholic, and he was close friend of many cardinals' as well as of popes Pius XII's and Paul VI's.
Because of his alleged - yet never proven - involvement in a number of murky episodes of Italian history, Giulio Andreotti ironically used to say: "Apart for Punic Wars, but just because I was too young at that time, they blame me for everything has ever happened in this country".
Being considered a kind of modern-times' Machiavelli/Talleyrand because of his political pragmatism, he was also famous for his low-profiled style, his temperate manners, his moderate politics, his inarguable wit, his biting humor, his very many aphorisms (such as "Power wears out...those who don't have it" , "Thinking bad about people it's a sin, but you often guess right in doing so" and "Being right it's not enough, you need somebody who agrees with you as well"), his support for A.S. Roma football team, his self-mockery and his distinguishing hunchback.
Because of his seventy-years-long political career he embodied the idea of Power in Italian popular culture; for this reason his detractors nicknamed him Beelzebub (a demon) while his supporters nicknamed him il Divo (the Divine, an epithet of Julius Cesar).
At his death he was described, for better or worse, as "The most representative politician Italy has known in its recent history".

Description
This portrait depicts the Italian statesman Giulio Andreotti (Rome, Jenuary 14th 1919 - May 6th 2013). Leading figure of centrist Christian Democracy party (aka DC), he was one of the main and most controversial political personalities of the so-called "First Italian Republic".
During his long life he was continuously MP, since the birth of Italian Republic in 1946 until his death. He served seven times as Prime Minister of Italy in 70s, 80s and early 90s, facing the hard and turbolent years of homegrown terrorism, the end of Cold War and the birth of EU. He also served many times as Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Interior Minister and Treasury Minister in various cabinets since 50s. In 1991 he was appointed Senator for life, an honor bestowed "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field" by the President of Italian Republic (art.59/2 of Italian Constitution). His personal involvement in cabinet matters lasted until 1992, when his DC party crushed under hundreds of corruption scaldals. Later he was even accused of being involved with Italian Mafia and with the assassinations of a journalist and a carabinieri general, but he was completely cleared of all charges in 2003 after a ten-years-long trial.
He was a devoted Catholic, and he was close friend of many cardinals' as well as of popes Pius XII's and Paul VI's.
Because of his alleged - yet never proven - involvement in a number of murky episodes of Italian history, Giulio Andreotti ironically used to say: "Apart for Punic Wars, but just because I was too young at that time, they blame me for everything has ever happened in this country".
Being considered a kind of modern-times' Machiavelli/Talleyrand because of his political pragmatism, he was also famous for his low-profiled style, his temperate manners, his moderate politics, his inarguable wit, his biting humor, his very many aphorisms (such as "Power wears out...those who don't have it" , "Thinking bad about people it's a sin, but you often guess right in doing so" and "Being right it's not enough, you need somebody who agrees with you as well"), his support for A.S. Roma football team, his self-mockery and his distinguishing hunchback.
Because of his seventy-years-long political career he embodied the idea of Power in Italian popular culture; for this reason his detractors nicknamed him Beelzebub (a demon) while his supporters nicknamed him il Divo (the Divine, an epithet of Julius Cesar).
At his death he was described, for better or worse, as "The most representative politician Italy has known in its recent history".