Gaetano Gandolfi (31 August 1734 – 20 June 1802) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque and early Neoclassic period, active in Bologna.
Gaetano was born in San Matteo della Decima, near Bologna, to a family of artists. Ubaldo Gandolfi was his brother, Mauro Gandolfi was his son, and Democrito Gandolfi was his grandson. Gaetano became a "student" at the Accademia Clementina in Bologna, where he was taught by Felice Torelli and Ercole Lelli. In the academy, he was the recipient of several prizes for both figure drawing and sculpture. Later, in an autobiography, Gaetano claimed Felice Torelli (1667–1748) as his master. Other sources mention Ercole Graziani the Younger (1688–1765) and Ercole Lelli. He traveled to England, and became strongly influenced by Tiepolo. Among his pupils was Serafino Viani from Reggio.[1] Gaetano died in Bologna, Italy.
Today, Gaetano's work is held in the permanent collections of several museums worldwide, including the Cooper Hewitt,[2] the Detroit Institute of Arts,[3] the Norton Museum of Art,[4] the Snite Museum of Art,[5] the University of Michigan Museum of Art,[6] the British Museum,[7] the LACMA,[8] the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest,[9] the Toledo Museum of Art,[10] and the Victoria and Albert Museum.[11]