Rodolfo Bernardelli

José Maria Oscar Rodolfo Bernardelli y Thierry (18 December 1852 – 7 April 1931) was a Mexican-born Brazilian sculptor and art professor, of Italian ancestry.

Due to his parents' profession, the family moved frequently; to several places in Mexico, Chile, and eventually Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

[1] He sat in on classes taught by Francisco Manuel Chaves Pinheiro, who noticed his enthusiasm and suggested that he become a formal student.

In October of that year, he held an exhibition of the works he had created in Italy and, as a result, was appointed Professor of Statuary at the Academia, succeeding his former teacher, Chaves Pinheiro, who had retired.

With support from the Imperial family, he received several important commissions, including monuments for Generals Manuel Luís Osório and Duque de Caxias.

[3] In that position, he collaborated on a project that converted the Academia Imperial into the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes, and liberalized its teaching methods.

[3] In 1904, he was part of a judging committee for choosing new façades on the Avenida Central, and served on a commission to select an architect for the proposed Teatro Municipal.