Lara Androvandi
After graduating in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, LARA ANDROVANDI won a scholarship to study “Artistic Metalworking Technique” at the prestigious T.A.M. Center in Pietrarubbia (PS), directed by Maestro Arnaldo Pomodoro.
She is currently considered one of the most deserving alumni of the Carrara Academy.
Lara was also received at a Udienza Generale in Rome and donated the sculpture “Alithos Anesti,” a monumental crucifix in centuries-old larch wood and a mirror mosaic, to His Holiness Pope Francis. Since then, the work has been kept in the Vatican and is part of the papal private collections.
For years, Lara has studied the ancient Ottoman Turkish Ebru technique, reinterpreting it in her own unique way in her works, blending tradition and modernity. She is currently one of the few Italian artists to have mastered this water painting technique, recognized by UNESCO as an “intangible heritage of humanity.” Because of this uniqueness, Lara collaborates with the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Rome.
With her Ebru performances, in which she follows the rhythm of a song or the lyrics of a story, Lara quickly became a spokesperson for numerous companies and a guest at important events. Guitarist, composer and author Fernando Fera, after inviting Lara to appear on one of his well-known national TV shows, declared: “Lara has a power, she has magic in her hands.”
Lara is the spokesperson with her works for the “Nadia Toffa National Award” organized by LILT Siena and awarded to the best Italian journalist of the year.
Lara made a major project with the Pediatric Oncology department of the “A. Gemelli” Polyclinic in Rome. The artist holds Ebru performances for the children hospitalized in the ward, followed by a hands-on water painting workshop. Thus began the idea of using EBRU as a true form of art therapy for cancer patients; a project destined to be repeated over the years.
In January 2024, she was commissioned to create the Masgalano for the Palio di Siena. This important sculpture rewards the most elegant participant in the Palio. Art critic Prof. Aldo Colonetti presented the work. In the same year, the artist received the honor of “Carabiniere Benemerito” for his outstanding artistic contribution to the Arma dei Carabinieri.
Lara Androvandi has been a high school Art History teacher for years, has written and published books and ebooks on decoration. Since 2025 she has been a frequent guest on the Italian television network TV9 to discuss Art History during the afternoon program #221.
She has participated, with her paintings and sculptures, in numerous important exhibitions both in Italy and abroad, to the point of being considered one of Italy’s leading contemporary artists.