Background
Bolaffio, Rita Boley was born on June 7, 1898 in Trieste, Italy. Arrived in United States, 1939, naturalized, 1944. Daughter of Angelo Luzzatto and Olga Senigaglia.
Bolaffio, Rita Boley was born on June 7, 1898 in Trieste, Italy. Arrived in United States, 1939, naturalized, 1944. Daughter of Angelo Luzzatto and Olga Senigaglia.
Her family moved to Vienna, where she passed World War I. She studied art under Josef Hoffmann at the Kunstgewerbeschule and did textile designs for the renowned Wiener Werkstaette under the name Grete Luzzatto. She also studied violin under the famous violinist František Ondříček.
She created powerful artwork that underscored the importance of grace and imagination. In 1939, the Fascist anti-Jewish policies forced the family to flee to America. She began a career as an artist, specializing in imaginative collages that were displayed in the windows of most major department stores in America, including Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Carson Pirie Scott, and many more, as well as many private commissions.
She regularly contributed covers for such magazines as Harper"s Bazaar, Vogue, Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, and Woman"s Day.
She had many awards and one-woman exhibitions at museums and galleries (eg James Pendleton Gallery in New York City, JL Hudson Gallery, Detroit, Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton, New York and the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina). Her work was showcased in the New York Times, as well as European reference works on modern art
She received the Premio di Sorrento 1965 for her poem "Nell"afa".
Member of Composer, Author and Artists America, Arts Group American Red Cross.
Married Orville F. Boley. Children: Lucius R., Bruno A. Fashion, textile and interior designer Wiener Werkstatte, Vienna and Milan, Italy.