Visiting Paper Modelers forum, I came across the sad news of the death of the great Italian designer and modeler Fabrizio Prudenziati. When I started getting interested in paper models soon caught my attention the creations of Mr. Prdenziati. Zio Prudenzio with equal mastery mastered the art of shaping using only paper, from human figures to the most complex vehicles, boats and airplanes. With the same genius he created houses and castles and board games and kindly shared them with everyone. On his website, hidden in the Index, there is a little text written by Fabrizio, where he tells us a little about his life. I took the liberty to reproduce it here in this post, because I am sure that many who visit his site and download his models did not find this text, blinded by the sheer beauty of his work.
"My name is Fabrizio Prudenziati and I was born at October 8 th 1946 in Treviso from a Venetian family of good traditions. My father's transfer, official of the State, in 1949 in Genoa has made me a Genoese of adoption. Completed the studies I have spent some and intense years in Marina Militare as young hopeful officer , then I have landed to the Office of the Department of the Customs (now Agency of the Customs), where, after having holded for 12 years the role of chief of the Office Computer Services of the Customs Area in Genoa, I am now retired. I still live in Genoa and I think that (to proper time) in Genoa, I will die. Soon widower, re-married and divorcé (at times I think that I should write a book of memories) I have a beautiful daughter, a marvelous fiancée, few but good friends and, generally, what a reasonable person can desire. Model maker of race, since from the infancy I have reached all the fields of the dynamic and static modelling with always equal passion. In 1976 I have founded in Genoa the firm "GRIFO" and I have created the first lead toy-soldiers . In 1977 I have founded and presided the ACCADEMIA GENOVESE DI MODELLISMO E COLLEZIONISMO, an extraordinary Association that boasted among her members names as Rocchiero, Frizzi, Ruggeri, Luppi, Jula and others. In 1978, abandoned to her destiny the GRIFO, I founded with Jula the firm "ARES" and I created the toy-soldiers up to 1984, year when the loss of my wife has deprived me of the necessary enthusiasm to continue this activity. I now devote me, almost exclusively, to the paper-models (toy-soldiers particularly) dusting off the ancient passion for this poor but exciting modelling, that has characterized the years of my infancy. If I finish saying to be fat and bald I would lie, because I am not bald."
"My name is Fabrizio Prudenziati and I was born at October 8 th 1946 in Treviso from a Venetian family of good traditions. My father's transfer, official of the State, in 1949 in Genoa has made me a Genoese of adoption. Completed the studies I have spent some and intense years in Marina Militare as young hopeful officer , then I have landed to the Office of the Department of the Customs (now Agency of the Customs), where, after having holded for 12 years the role of chief of the Office Computer Services of the Customs Area in Genoa, I am now retired. I still live in Genoa and I think that (to proper time) in Genoa, I will die. Soon widower, re-married and divorcé (at times I think that I should write a book of memories) I have a beautiful daughter, a marvelous fiancée, few but good friends and, generally, what a reasonable person can desire. Model maker of race, since from the infancy I have reached all the fields of the dynamic and static modelling with always equal passion. In 1976 I have founded in Genoa the firm "GRIFO" and I have created the first lead toy-soldiers . In 1977 I have founded and presided the ACCADEMIA GENOVESE DI MODELLISMO E COLLEZIONISMO, an extraordinary Association that boasted among her members names as Rocchiero, Frizzi, Ruggeri, Luppi, Jula and others. In 1978, abandoned to her destiny the GRIFO, I founded with Jula the firm "ARES" and I created the toy-soldiers up to 1984, year when the loss of my wife has deprived me of the necessary enthusiasm to continue this activity. I now devote me, almost exclusively, to the paper-models (toy-soldiers particularly) dusting off the ancient passion for this poor but exciting modelling, that has characterized the years of my infancy. If I finish saying to be fat and bald I would lie, because I am not bald."
