Hysen Bengu (Devolli), a renowned painter, graphic artist, and scenographer, was born in Tirana. He is regarded as the founder of Albanian stage design and served as the first stage designer for the Albanian Opera and Ballet Theatre. Devolli completed his higher studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, Romania, specializing in scenography from 1948 to 1952. During his thirty-year tenure as a stage painter at the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tirana, Devolli created more than 300 scenographies and costume designs for both foreign and Albanian operatic and ballet productions. His artistic work often focused on historical themes, but he also produced various portraits, including depictions of prominent figures from Albanian dramatic art. Throughout his career, Hysen Devolli maintained a realistic style in his artworks, characterized by an aim for aestheticism and coloristic balance within the framework of socialist realism. Additionally, he designed Albanian philatelic stamps for several issues. Hysen Devolli passed away in 2013, leaving behind a rich legacy in Albanian art and theater. (In the photo: Devolli’s work “Tirana Dance, 1999, oil on canvas.)
Text: Ylli Drishti, 100 years of Tirana in painting; 1920-2020 , “Mediaprint”, Tirana, 2020, page 98.
Photo: © Private collection “Shabani”
Graphic processing: AHCF
