Beni Montresor
{{Short description|Italian illustrator, costume and set designer, director}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
Image:Beni Montresor.jpg, 1964.]]
Beni Montresor (31 March 1926 – 11 October 2001) was an Italian artist, opera and film director, set designer, author and children's book illustrator. He won the 1965 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing May I Bring a Friend?.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.cfm#60s |title= Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present|accessdate=24 February 2010 |publisher= American Library Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410065246/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.cfm |archive-date=10 April 2011 |url-status=dead}} The Italian government knighted him in 1966 for his contributions to the arts.
Career
Montresor was particularly known in the United States as a designer of sets, lighting and costumes for opera. He designed sets and costumes for the 1964 American premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera The Last Savage at the Metropolitan Opera. He also designed the evocative and ephemeral scenery and lighting for the Washington Opera/New York City Opera revival of the Montemezzi opera The Love of Three Kings in 1981.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/13/books/beni-montresor-artist-in-2-worlds-dies-at-78.html |title= Beni Montresor, Artist in 2 Worlds, Dies at 78|accessdate= 24 February 2010|author= Honan, William H.|author-link=William H. Honan|date=13 October 2001 |work= New York Times }} He was the Artistic Director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1988–1989.{{Cite web |url=http://archivio2.unita.it/v2/carta/showoldpdf.asp?anno=2008&mese=04&file=11RIVa |title=Lo sguardo di Beni Montresor |accessdate=24 February 2010 |author=Fratello, Giovanni |date=11 April 2008 |publisher=L'Unità |language=Italian }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He directed two films, Pilgrimage (1972), starring Cliff De Young and {{Interlanguage link multi|La Messe dorée|fr}} (1975), starring Lucia Bosè.{{Cite web |url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:WeXZaMWWcbUJ:www.zetema.it/content/download/7079/40588/file/3.%2BRassegna%2Bvideo.pdf+beni+montresor+opera+direttore&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgueJOD2Qa_wrBDknR7uE9G_fa2-kf_9Z2eqaUOuixRVFjm2eROHjjEmH-qQeqSx5MLODUcYFxTzFAUvD-C3aVcntv6DfsfjsQeNHis_toZmsjIMstF0_4JM0MAjmZXzYZDefko&sig=AHIEtbSwecJOQQwLN3_cHiVB85OyCzjWEw |title=Dal Colore alla Luce:Beni Montresor. Un protagonista del teatro internazionale |accessdate=24 February 2010 |language= Italian}} He was also a stage and film set designer with commissions from La Scala, Spoleto, the Glyndebourne Festival, the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera for productions like La Gioconda, Esclarmonde, The Last Savage, The Daughter of the Regiment, L'Elisir d'Amore (Metropolitan Opera), Aida and The Magic Flute (New York City Opera). Montresor worked with film directors Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini among others.
Between 1964 and 1986, Montresor also designed for a Broadway play revival (Marco Millions) and two new musicals (Do I Hear a Waltz? and Rags).Beni Montresor. Internet Broadway Database, ibdb.com, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beni-montresor-25145. Accessed 20 September 2021.
Personal life
Montresor had a longer term affair with the writer Anne Cumming in the 1950s whilst she was married and also had many other gay and straight affairs.{{Cite news|url=https://ebsn.eu/scholarship/interviews/felicity-masonanne-cumming-a-brief-biography-and-interview-jennie-skerl/|title=Felicity Mason/Anne Cumming – A Brief Biography and Interview – Jennie Skerl|date=16 October 2012|work=European Beat Studies Network|access-date=12 April 2017|language=en-US}}
Beni Montresor died in Verona on 11 October 2001 at the age of 75;{{cite news |last1=Honan |first1=William H. |title=Beni Montresor, Artist in 2 Worlds, Dies at 78 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/13/books/beni-montresor-artist-in-2-worlds-dies-at-78.html |access-date=11 October 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=13 October 2001|quote=Correction: Oct. 15, 2001 -- An obituary on Saturday about Beni Montresor, illustrator of children's books and designer of opera sets and costumes, misstated his age. He was 75, not 78.}}{{cite news |last1=Lane |first1=John Francis |title=Obituary: Beni Montresor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/dec/04/guardianobituaries |access-date=11 October 2021 |work=the Guardian |date=4 December 2001 |language=en}} the cause of his death was reportedly pancreatic cancer.
References
{{Commons category|Beni Montresor}}
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Children's literature |Film |Visual arts }}
- [http://archives.nypl.org/the/18853 Beni Montresor papers, 1953–1999 (bulk 1970–1989)], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
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Category:Italian costume designers
Category:Italian children's book illustrators
Category:Caldecott Medal winners
Category:Italian film directors
Category:Italian opera directors
Category:Bisexual male writers
Category:Bisexual male artists