Romolo Trebbi

Rómulo Trebbi del Trevigiano is an Italian-born architect, art historian, critic, and academic who became a naturalized Chilean citizen. In Chile, he has been recognized for his humanist and Renaissance-inspired approach to art and culture.
An emeritus professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, he has developed a distinguished career in art history in Chile, combining teaching with cultural dissemination.
Trebbi has taught courses, lectures, and conferences at various Chilean universities, including the University for Development and the University of Chile, where he participated in 2006 in a lecture series organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art.
He has stated that "art is not taught, it is shared," emphasizing that art history should be understood as a dialogue between the creator, the work, and society. His approach integrates elements of philosophy, aesthetics, and anthropology, positioning him as a key thinker in Chile’s reflection on beauty and the meaning of art.

Biography

Trebbi was born in 1928 in the Italian town of San Martino. In 1949, he began his studies in art history and architecture at the Sapienza University of Rome. Since 1952, he has worked as an art critic in Italy, focusing his work on Venetian painting and Cubism.
In the mid-1950s, he emigrated to Chile, where he began his academic career at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, initially within the School of Architecture and Design. In 1972, he completed advanced studies in art criticism at the University of Florence.
Upon his return, he joined the Institute of History at PUCV, where he stood out for his teaching of art history, covering topics such as pre-Columbian, European, colonial, and Easter Island art. He served as Director of the Institute and was later named Professor Emeritus of the university.
In 2010, PUCV presented his book The Concept of the City, a work addressing the relationship between aesthetics, architecture, and public space.