Italian Sculptor Davide Prete Discusses Wide-Ranging Career in the Arts

By Nancy DeSanti, 1st Vice President—Programs

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Davide Prete with a sample of his art and jewelry at the September 22 general meeting.
Credit: Nancy DeSanti

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In the final AMHS speaker’s program of the year, an enthusiastic audience gathered in Casa Italiana on September 22, 2024, to hear a talk by Italian sculptor, Davide Prete. They enjoyed a wonderful presentation that ranged from metalsmithing to 3D printing, linking traditional craftsmanship with modern technology.
Davide was born in Treviso in northern Italy, where he learned metalsmithing from his father, who in turn learned it from his father. At the age of 8 or 9, Davide learned how to straighten a piece of steel. Later, he studied architecture at a university in Venice, where his interest was sparked in science and mathematics. He was also interested in sports, and in fact became an expert kayaker who went on a whitewater kayaking trip in Africa where, as he showed the audience in a video clip, he learned about connecting with nature and taking risks riding dangerous rapids.
Davide said he was inspired by nature to make sculptures of sundials, the ancient Roman method of keeping track of time. Years later, in considering the environment and climate change, he sculpted a melted-down U.S. Capitol atop an oil can, but he said the summer temperatures were too hot. So, he had to do his work over more than once. He also showed the image he made of a mountain lion as an endangered species that was half metal in the front with 3D plastic in the rear, as if the animal were disappearing.
He noted that he was also inspired by Greek and Roman mythology. He explained that the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun inspired one of the works he donated to the Italian-American Museum of Washington DC (IAMDC). Davide used 3D printing to re-create the “corn cob” of the U.S. Capitol. The “corn cob” was also donated to IAMDC. It can be seen in the museum lobby. During the covid pandemic lockdown, he explained how he spent countless hours making the 3D printed replica based on 200 photos sent to him by the Architect of the Capitol. It was a remarkable undertaking!
Davide’s art is found in over 40 public and private collections in the United States and Europe. He said that, if he had to select his favorite sculpture, it is the one that we chose to put on our flyer for the program. It is the “Freedom to Read” sculpture at the D.C. Capital View Public Library. The large sculpture represents two pages of a book, resembling wings, in white painted steel with laser-cut perforated words from books.
Davide joked that his being used to dealing with the notorious bureaucracy in Italy, such as when he worked on a sculpture for the Treviso airport, made it easy for him to deal with all the red tape he ran into in dealing with local governments here.
One of his big ongoing projects is a U.S. flag consisting of 5,000 portraits. So far, he has 2,000 portraits, Thus, this is a long-term project for him. He is also using 3D printing for making jewelry. Davide will be going to a conference in December on artificial intelligence issues.
In addition to being an artist, Davide is also a teacher. In April of this year, he participated in a project organized by Simonetta Baldassari who links students from two high schools in Italy with two high schools in the Washington area. He gave a virtual presentation to the students. No doubt, it came naturally to him since he teaches at the Corcoran School of Art and Design, the University of the District of Columbia, and Catholic University of America. He is also planning to teach a class next year in Umbria, near Orvieto.
Towards the end of his presentation but before taking questions, Davide wowed the audience by calling on a volunteer from the audience to have a 3D color scan of her face made at his computer in about five minutes.
This program was sponsored by the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society and co-sponsored by the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center. A delicious lunch was catered by Fontina Grille. Many thanks is owed to those members who arranged the lunch and served it, and also to those members who donated items for the raffle and bought tickets.