Cornelio Di Marzio was born in Pagliara dei Marsi on 6 Dicember 1896, he was a veteran of the First World War. He was a greek and latin scholar, also redactor of ''idea Nazionale'' and ''Cronache dell'attualità'' directed by Anton Giulio Bragaglia, with whom he formed a long friendship. In 1922 he married Anna Kulicioff Casotti, and had two children, one was Anna Maria, big traveller, owner of this collection.

Full of interest, he published many books, he was friend with intellectuals and artists, including the Boldini family (catalogue with the dedication of the wife Emilia Cardona Boldini) Virgilio Guidi (autograph letter to Di Marzio's daughter to require the piece ''Figura'' of 1924, purchased by Cornelio to expose it to the XXVII Biennal of 1954, and Emilio Bodrero.

He became director of Meridiano di Roma in 1938, working with Bragaglia, Giacomo De Benedetti, Curzio Malaparte and Nello Quilici (some of the colleagues were Luciano Anceschi and Emilio Cecchi. With this role he gave big importance to poetry (L. De Libero, A. Gatto, F. De Pisis, E. Montale, S. Quasimodo, C. Pavolini, E. Pound, V. Sereni)

In relation with Gentile from 1932 he was responsable of the Rassegna della Confederazione of professionists and artists, then his director and president (1939-1943) this role had him even more in the circle of art, from witch the collection (purchased) formed, among the many artists, by: Socrate, Trombadori, Bartoli, Scipione Francalancia, Ciardo (friend with Bragaglia) Casciaro, Prampolini, Torresini, Messina, Severini, Pericle Fazzini, Leonetta Cecchi Pierazzini (to whom commissioned the portraid of his wife) and Primo Conti, particular attention also to young people as Emilio Vedova, and to the Parthenopean area with Morelli, Casciaro and Gigante.

He was murdered on the 3 of June 1944 in circumstances not established.

Sources and Bibl.:

Archive Di Marzio family

Enciclopedia Treccani

Archivio centr. dello Stato a Roma (printed, tissue and manuscript writings; private and business correspondence; reports from trips abroad; circulars; university teaching documents; files for various assignments; newspaper cuttings about himself and his activities; books with dedications; material relating to the secretariat of the Fasci abroad and the Confederation of Professionals and Artists)

Arch. centr. dello Stato, Segr. part. del duce, Cart. riserv., b. 39, f. 242/R; b. 74, f. H/R; Cart. ord., f. 500100/33.

https://patrimonio.archivioluce.com/luce-web/search/result.html?persone=%22Di%20Marzio,%20Cornelio%22&activeFilter=persone

F. De Rosa, Il sistema delle arti a Napoli durante il ventennio fascista, Istituto Italiano per gli studi filosofici, Napoli 2012

Antologia degli scrittori fascisti, a cura di M. Carli-G. A. Fanelli, Firenze 1931, p. 256;

E. Savino, La nazione operante, Novara 1937, pp. 576 s.

G. S. Spinetti, Difesa di una generazione, Roma 1948, ad Indicem

D. Guili Pecenko-L. Nasi Zitelli, Bibliografia dei periodici del periodo fascista 1922-1945 Biblioteca Camera deputati, Roma 1983

A. Vittoria, Le riviste del duce. Politica e cultura del regime, Milano 1983, ad Indicem