Born in Rome in 1980, he grew up in an eclectic family of artists, in which his maternal
grandmother, the famous Austrian painter, ceramist and sculptor Rosina Wachtmeister, and his
paternal grandfather Ermanno Rea, a famous Italian writer and journalist, stand out. Battista’s
father, Carlo Rea, is a well-known painter and musician, as is his mother, Gabila Musumeci.
Battista Rea studied in Germany, first at the Höhr Grenzhausen Ceramics School, then at one of
the oldest ceramic factories in the Westerwald, Der Schlondes. During his stay in Germany he
developed a unique and personal artistic character, cultivating a creative direction inspired by the
wonders of nature and a fantastic and colorful vision of the world around us. A distinctive feature of his style is the union between mosaic art and sculpture, applied to the creation of small handicraft
pieces, urban furniture, indoors and outdoors. The majestic “Drago Spiro”, measuring twenty
meters in length, was created by him and installed in a Roman playground under the patronage of
the Lazio Region. Among his most important works are numerous installations in the historic center
of Capena, including “Il Momento”, a nine-meter-high giant created in collaboration with the
Hungarian artist Hervé Loranth Ervin. He has produced works for the municipalities of Settebagni,
Monterotondo, Carsoli and Rome.
Famous Austrian artist, maternal grandmother of Battista Rea. Born in Vienna in 1939 and still
working in the Capena laboratory, she moved with her family to Brazil as a teenager, where she
attended the Academy of Fine Arts, laying the foundations for a style that would soon become
unmistakable. At 28 she moved to Rome, where, selling her paintings near Piazza Navona, she
began to make a name for herself. She then moved to Capena, finding the ideal oasis in which to
cultivate a lifestyle immersed in nature and in contact with animals, the favorite subjects of her
works. Over the years, she established important commercial relationships first with Verkerke, a
poster production company, then with Goebel, which still today sell on the market various types of
products characterized by Rosina’s style. The trademark par excellence of the Austrian artist,
Rosina’s colorful cats have sold and continue to sell thousands of pieces all over the world.
