Eugenio Zanetti obit

Eugenio Zanetti, the Argentine genius of art design who conquered Hollywood and won an Oscar, has died.

The renowned set designer, director, and visual artist passed away at the age of 79 after collapsing at his home in Buenos Aires. He left a monumental legacy in international cinema, opera, and theater. He received an Academy Award for his work in restoration. 

He was not on the list.

The Argentine and international cultural community mourns the passing of Maestro Eugenio Zanetti , renowned worldwide as an art director, set designer, stage director, painter, playwright, and film director.

Anetti passed away suddenly this Friday in the city of Buenos Aires at the age of 79 , just one month shy of her 80th birthday.

According to sources close to him, the Cordoban artist was rehearsing the opera The Tales of Hoffmann at the Teatro Colón when he began to feel unwell. After returning home, he suffered a medical emergency that led to his death. The sad news was mourned by various institutions, including the Argentine Actors Association and Argentores, who highlighted his exceptional talent and unparalleled international reach.

Hollywood stardom and the Oscar

Eugenio Zanetti achieved the highest cinematic acclaim in 1996 , during the 68th Academy Awards ceremony, when he won the award for Best Art Direction for his dazzling period recreation in Restoration ( 1995 ), a film directed by Michael Hoffman and starring Robert Downey Jr. Zanetti shared the award with set decorator Cindy Carr.

That night in Los Angeles, after being invited to the stage by Emma Thompson and Whoopi Goldberg, the Argentine artist spoke words that summarized his life and artistic philosophy: “Restoration is the story of a man who is finally restored by God after following his heart. I followed my heart to this point, and I am grateful to God [...] My only advice is: follow your heart . ”

In 2000 , the Hollywood Academy once again recognized his work with a second Oscar nomination for the production design of the pictorial universes of What Dreams May Come (1998), a feature film directed by Vincent Ward and starring Robin Williams.

His extensive career in the American film industry also included the visual design of high-impact productions such as Flatliners (1990), Last Action Hero (1993), Soapdish (1991), The Haunting , Promised Land , Zapata and There Be Dragons .

From Córdoba to the world: an interdisciplinary vocation

Born in the province of Córdoba on October 19, 1946 , Zanetti began his training by studying architecture at the National University of Córdoba in the mid-1960s. His aesthetic curiosity led him early to Italy, where he participated in the filming of Medea (1969), under the direction of Pier Paolo Pasolini.

In Argentine cinema, he left his visual mark on fundamental titles such as Mario Sabato's The Power of Darkness (1979) and Alejandro Doria's Passengers in the Garden (1982), in addition to collaborating on productions nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, such as Camila and The Truce . Years later, in 2014 , he took a crucial step by writing and directing the feature film Amapola , a work that earned him the Best Director award at the Bogotá Film Festival.

Master's degree in performing arts, opera and painting

Throughout his more than six decades-long career, Zanetti alternated between film, opera, and theater. At the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, he created memorable stage productions, set designs, and costumes for titles such as Don Carlo (for which he received the ACE Award for Best Opera Production in 2014), Fidelio (2016), and The Servant (2011).

He also had a prominent presence at the Bicentennial Theater of San Juan , where he conceived large-scale productions such as The Magic Flute and Pagliacci . His time at this institution had a foundational impact, promoting technical training and the transfer of knowledge to local production teams.

As a visual artist, he held solo exhibitions of his work in Argentina, the United States, Mexico, and Spain. Just a few weeks before his death, Zanetti presented the retrospective and immersive exhibition “Eugenio Zanetti: The Man Who Inhabits Many Worlds” at the Tamburini Museum of the Bank of Córdoba (Bancor) in his home province.

Recognition of a dazzling career

Zanetti's legacy was recognized with numerous awards and honors at the national and international levels:

Silver Condor Awards: Awarded the Special Silver Condor of the Bicentennial in 2010 for his contribution to the projection of Argentine art abroad.

Theatre Awards: Winner of the María Guerrero, Trinidad Guevara, Estrella de Mar and Florencio Sánchez awards.

Official and Academic Distinctions: Declared an Illustrious Citizen of Los Angeles, Cordoba and Buenos Aires; awarded the “Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” Honorary Mention by the Senate of the Nation and recognized with the Honorary Doctorate by the National University of the Arts, the University of Palermo and the ESSERP University of Madrid.

Eugenio Zanetti leaves an indelible mark on global culture. His extraordinary ability to conceive visual universes imbued with poetry and symbolic density will remain an essential reference point for the performing and cinematic arts.

Production Designer

Kacike Enriquillo

Production Designer

Pre-production

 

Geraldine Chaplin, Camilla Belle, and François Arnaud in Amapola (2014)

Amapola

4.8

Production Designer

2014

 

Geraldine Chaplin, Derek Jacobi, Jordi Mollà, Wes Bentley, Golshifteh Farahani, Rodrigo Santoro, Dougray Scott, Charlie Cox, Olga Kurylenko, and Agustín Bruzzone in There Be Dragons (2011)

There Be Dragons

5.7

Production Designer

2011

 

Alejandro Fernández in Zapata - El sueño del héroe (2004)

Zapata - El sueño del héroe

2.2

Production Designer

2004

 

Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Haunting (1999)

The Haunting

5.1

Production Designer

1999

 

Robin Williams in What Dreams May Come (1998)

What Dreams May Come

7.0

Production Designer

1998

 

Warriors of Virtue (1997)

Warriors of Virtue

4.8

Production Designer

1997

 

Meg Ryan, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, and Polly Walker in Restoration (1995)

Restoration

6.6

Production Designer

1995

 

Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, Nick Stahl, and Roger Aaron Brown in Tall Tale (1995)

Tall Tale

5.9

Production Designer

1995

 

Anthony Quinn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, F. Murray Abraham, Charles Dance, Tom Noonan, Austin O'Brien, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras in Last Action Hero (1993)

Last Action Hero

6.5

production designed by

1993

 

Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue, Robert Downey Jr., and Sally Field in Soapdish (1991)

Soapdish

6.6

Production Designer

1991

 

Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Kiefer Sutherland, and Oliver Platt in Flatliners (1990)

Flatliners

6.6

Production Designer

1990

 

Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Greenfield, and Sheila Kelley in Some Girls (1988)

Some Girls

5.7

Production Designer

1988

 

Promised Land (1987)

Promised Land

5.6

Production Designer

1987

 

Virginia Madsen in Slam Dance (1987)

Slam Dance

5.2

Production Designer

1987

 

Graciela Borges and Rodolfo Ranni in Los pasajeros del jardín (1982)

Los pasajeros del jardín

7.3

Production Designer

1982

 

The Power of Darkness (1979)

The Power of Darkness

6.2

Production Designer

1979

 

Héctor Alterio and Ana María Picchio in The Truce (1974)

The Truce

7.3

Production Designer

1974

 

Director

Geraldine Chaplin, Camilla Belle, and François Arnaud in Amapola (2014)

Amapola

4.8

Director

2014

 

Quantum Project (2000)

Quantum Project

6.0

Short

Director

2000

 

Writer

Geraldine Chaplin, Camilla Belle, and François Arnaud in Amapola (2014)

Amapola

4.8

Writer

2014

 

Set Decorator

Meg Ryan, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, and Polly Walker in Restoration (1995)

Restoration

6.6

Set Decorator

1995

 

Costume and Wardrobe Department

Warriors of Virtue (1997)

Warriors of Virtue

4.8

designer: Komodo's cape, US / Beijing

1997

 

Self

Hedy Krilla in Hedy Crilla, maestra de actores (2023)

Hedy Crilla, maestra de actores

8.0

Self

2023

 

Restoration: The Art and Design of 'Flatliners'

Video

Self

2022

 

Pura Química (2010)

Pura Química

7.0

TV Series

Self - Guest

2014

1 episode

 

Fútbol Para Todos (2003)

Fútbol Para Todos

8.0

TV Series

Self - Guest

2014

1 episode

 

Masters of Production: The Hidden Art of Hollywood

7.7

TV Movie

Self

2004

 

The Making of 'the Haunting'

5.9

Video

Self

1999

 

HBO First Look (1992)

HBO First Look

6.3

TV Series

Self

1999

1 episode

 

NeXt (1994)

NeXt

TV Series

Self

1999

1 episode

 

Almorzando con Mirtha Legrand (1968)

Almorzando con Mirtha Legrand

4.4

TV Series

Self - Guest

1996

1 episode

 

Hollywood, CH

TV Movie

Self

1996

 

The 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996)

The 68th Annual Academy Awards

5.9

TV Special

Self - Winner

1996

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Austin O'Brien in Behind the Scenes: Last Action Hero (1993)

Behind the Scenes: Last Action Hero

7.8

TV Special

Self

1993