[1] Born in Fara Filiorum Petri, Chieti, Italy, in 1907, Antonelli arrived in Philadelphia with his family when he was fourteen.
Antonelli's photographs received top awards at major shows in Paris, London, Barcelona, Rotterdam, Brussels, Rome, and Tokyo.
Considered a major "futurist" artist and photographer, as well as a "photo-picturalist", he built his international reputation and career on his imaginative portrayals of the human figure and face, works that range from playful to provocative; he was also renowned for his industrial and commercial art.
[10] Severo Antonelli's work was featured (twice) in what remains the largest one-man photography exhibits ever held at the Smithsonian Institution.
Antonelli was a long-time supporter of Woodmere and in 1986 he donated more than one hundred of his photographs to the Museum, many of which are part of the permanent collection.