1904 
Born May 5th, San Francisco, California
Baptized Raimondo Giuseppe at St. Ignatius Church

1906     
Home completely destroyed in earthquake and fire.

1910     
Watched architect Maybeck supervise the house under construction next door to our new home.

Accompanied mother to the studio of Matteo Sandonà, Venetian artist, and observed while the artist painted her as "Madonna" and his brother as "Child". This pastel painting received prize at the International Exposition in San Francisco, 1915.
Decided to become an artist.

1915    
Attended exhibition of contemporary art at the International Exposition in San Francisco. Viewed for the first time paintings of French masters; the Spanish school then much in vogue; Giacometti, Sr., etc.
Begin to attend concerts. Heard Saint Saens play his own compositions and met him after the concert. Mother had a fine voice and sang early Italian music and German Lieder.
High School - With Miss O'Malley, studied drawing in charcoal from plaster casts. Travelling circuit exhibition of drawings in California high schools

1918
Attended evening drawing classes at Mark Hopkins Institute making first studies of the nude and drawing from plaster models of antique art.

1919     
Studied design with Gustav Breuer

1922/1926
Received scholarship in Theatre school (“Theatre Guild”).
Studied and worked there with Maurice Browne, Ellen Van Volkenberg, Hedwiga Reicher, John Cowper Powys, Irving Pichel, Sam Hume (associate of Gordon Craig) in contemporary drama, Chinese and Japanese theatre, and Greek theatre. Took part in productions of San Francisco Theatre Guild and Greek Theatre productions at University of California, Berkeley.
Studied with and assisted Rudolph Schaeffer (who was exponent of Josef Hoffman, Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule and Bauhaus) in Stage Design and Lighting for the theatre. Assisted him in vast production of "Midsummer Night's Dream" at Greek Theatre, University of California, Berkeley.
Made first theatrical masks (Dante) for a production of Dante's "Divine Comedy" which was never carried out.
Continued study with Rudolph Schaeffer at his school of design and color - interior design, interior architecture, analysis and history of Japanese and Chinese art, etc.
Studied with Galka Scheyer, guest teacher at Schaeffer School and representative of the Blaue Reiter (Kandinsky, Klee, Jawlensky, Feininger)

1925
Translated from the French, LeCorbusier's "Vers une architecture"
From Ernest Bloch, composer, received much encouragement in study of art and to concentrate on sculpture.
Continued to draw, made studies in clay from nude model, made abstract paintings and wood sculpture.
While continuing visual studies was technical assistant to Max Reinhardt for production of "The Miracle" and earned enough to go to Italy.

1927    
In January left for Italy, via New York and Algeria, to live with relatives. Grandfather, architect, engineer, scholar, was an inspiration, gave first studio - at Lucca.
Worked in clay from the nude.
Part time assistant to Sculptor Petroni in order to learn how to work marble. First portrait of importance, Guglielmo Marconi.
Travel in Italy. Etruscan and Romanesque art; Nicola and Giovanni Pisano; Jacopo della Quercia, Donatello, and Michelangelo, etc. completely upset previous ideas.
Spent several weeks at Deruta (Perugia) studying techniques of ceramics.

1928    
Reluctantly returned to San Francisco - lack of funds.
A short stop in New York to visit museums.
Established studio in the Chinese quarters adjoining the Italian quarters in San Francisco,
To earn a living worked first as an apprentice, then as a commercial sculptor in wood with an Italian, Continolo and with a Portuguese, J. Vieira, artisan - antique furniture.
Continued sculpture in clay - portraits, nude figures -terra cotta.

1929    
First architectural commission, large reliefs in wood - Architect: Kem Weber.
Continued to work in woodcarving, design furniture for San Francisco Stock Exchange. Made commercial designs for department store displays. Carved wooden screens. Continued to model in clay and draw from life.

1929/
Beginning of friendship with Diego Rivera and his wife, Frida Kahlo which was of great value to my development. Methodical analysis of masters, especially of Italian Renaissance.
Conversations with Elie Faure and meeting with Serge Eisenstein added also to artistic and cultural growth. Encounters with other Mexican artists including Jose Clemente Orozco and Carlos Merida.
Friendships with many Chinese and Japanese artists - Foujita, Obata, Dong Kingman, etc.
Assisted in establishing the gallery “The Art Center”.
Continued whenever possible commercial architectural works.
Designed furniture, made sculpture in wood, clay and stone, but mainly in terra cotta. Experiments with glazes. Some bronzes.
Commission for Corpus Christi Church, Piedmont, California for five sculptures in the round in wood and a large bas-relief in wood - all polychromed.
During a visit to studio, Henri Matisse encouraged me in my work and suggested that I leave San Francisco to work and to exhibit in New York and in Paris. He suggested my contacting Herbert Bittner of New York.

/1935    
Continuing drawing, made many Sketches of the figure in movement - study of the “interior movement” of the body. First serious encounters with Modern Dance and modern dancers, observing and drawing the exponents of the Modern German Dance: Mary Wigman, Tina Flade, Hanya Holm and the “Rudolf von Laban School” directed by Ann Mundstock in San Francisco. Began a long series of drawings of Martha Graham, her students; Katherine Dunham and group; Janet Collins, Harald Kreutzberg, Yvonne Georgi, Bodil Genkel, Agna Enters
Frequented the Chinese Theatre, the Japanese Theatre. Saw performances of Uday Shankar and his group. Attended performances of Flamenco dancing, etc.
Maurice Sterne came. to Studio; long visit of great interest.
[If I had remained in S. F. I’d never be heard of! etc. -]
First personal exhibitions in San Francisco.
Participated in group exhibitions throughout West Coast.

1936/     
With letters of introduction to gallery and museum directors from Dr. Grace McCann Morley, director of San Francisco Museum of Art, departed for New York City. Travelled via automobile across the United States through the Indian Country - Arizona, New Mexico - visited many Indian villages including Hopi where was invited to stay as guest. Eventful trip - Great admiration for the native Americans.
Dr. Eva Klein, a good friend in New York, introduced me to Dr. Alfred Adler who invited me to attend his weekly seminars with leading psychiatrists and psychologists. A most interesting, informative friendship, and a great influence. Later, after Puccinelli gave a talk to the group on psychological factors in passages from Confucius, Adler suggested that he would make an excellent teacher.
Valenti Angela, an artist friend, introduced me to Mr. Frederic Newlin Price, director of Ferargil Gallery, who showed my work in several important exhibitions including a three-man exhibition with Maillol and Degas.
Herbert Bittner, director of Westermann Gallery, showed my work in an exhibition of three sculptors: Barlach, Lehmbruck, Puccinelli. Later Bittner opened his own gallery and continued to show Puccinelli's sculpture.
Friendship with Uday Shankar (the dancer, elder brother of sitarist, Ravi Shankar).
Shared studio in New York with German sculptor, Carl Schmitz, working in terra cotta and bronze.

/1937    
Many visits to studio of Martha Graham to draw at dance classes and rehearsals.
Interesting friendship with Sarat Lahiri, master of the music of India.
Return to San Francisco studio, via Southern route, in automobile with Winthrop Sargeant who was making research on folk music of the United  States in preparation for a book. Another eventful trip.
San Francisco - the beginning of long friendship with Edgar Varèse, composer.   

/1938     
Commissions with Timothy Pfleuger and with Arthur Brown, architects, for numerous sculptures for the “Golden Gate International Exposition” for California Building, San Francisco Building, and a monumental figure “Flora” for the Court of Honor.
Appointed instructor at Mills College, first teaching position (1938-1947).
Many valuable friendships made during these years: Darius Milhaud, French composer; members of Budapest String Quartet; Fernand Leger; André Maurois; Stravinsky; Max Beckmann; Yasuo Kuniyoshi; Pasquier String Trio; Artur Schnabel; Walter Gieseking; Ralph Kirkpatrick; Leadbelly (Ledbetter) (Afro-American folk musician, composer of songs of protest), photographer Imogen Cunningham and others.

1939/    
Bronze relief on Marconi Monument, Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, dedicated 1939
Golden Gate International Exposition - personal exhibition in “Palace of Arts”, sculpture in bronze and large numbers of drawings of Martha Graham
Invited to exhibit at New York World's Fair, “Art Today”, bronze sculpture “Chinese Woman”.
Continued sculpture in granite and in marble - 1st studies for “Grizzly Bear", carried out in Diorite for University of California campus, Berkeley.
“Polar Bear”, crystal marble for Mills College, Albert Bender gift.        
“BLACK PANTHER”, polished black diorite, heroic scale, ten feet long for Salinas College, Salinas, California
Worked on large project for a fountain - animal and plant life. Was never carried out.
Marriage to Esther Fehlen. (1940)
Exhibited widely during this period both personal and group exhibitions.

1942/    
Birth of daughter, Rodi.
Appointed Professor in Department of .Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley - Headed Department of Sculpture (1942-1947)
Friendships made with colleagues in the fields of science and of literature.
Friendship with Franz Rederer, Swiss painter – lifelong; and with Oscar Kokoschka, painter.
Frequent trips to New York where sculpture and drawings were included in exhibitions at Ferargil & Bittner Galleries as well as group shows in East Coast Museums and galleries. Exhibited at both personal and group exhibitions in San Francisco area and throughout United States. Retrospective at University of California, Berkeley.
Retrospective at De Young Museum, San Francisco, California.

/1947    
Sculpture in bronze, granite, marble, and glazed ceramics.
Appointed “Artist in Residence”, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1947-1948).
Met Hans Rothe, noted man of the theatre (lifelong friend).
Produced small sculpture in bronze, pastels, numerous drawings from male model.
Sculpture exhibited at French & Company Art Gallery, New York.
Commenced exhibiting at Saidenberg Gallery, New York together with Picasso, Leger, Juan Gris, Klee, etc. These exhibitions were also shown in several U.S.A. museums.

1948/    
Moved to New York. Purchased house on Brooklyn Heights and set up studio.
Met Ernst Brummer, who became good friend, and was influential for introduction into New York art world.
First invitation to Whitney Museum Exhibition.
Appointed to Queen's College (1948-1951).
Many fine friendships made during this period.
Sculpture, worked in plaster for bronze.

/1952    
Started Portraits of Varese; eventually finished in terra cotta, bronze and granite.
Passedoit Gallery, New York - two-man exhibition, sculpture in granite and marble together with bronzes of Gargallo.

1953    
First invitation to exhibit group of sculpture at Institute of Arts and Letters, New York
Passedoit Galiery - group exhibition

1954    
J. B. Neumann Gallery, New York - exhibition of small sculpture; with paintings of Paul Klee.
“GRIZZLY BEAR” - Diorite - Dedicated at University of California, Berkeley.
Frequent trips to California.
Portrait commissions in San Francisco as well as exhibitions.
Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, Personal exhibition and Lecture.
Coeval Gallery, New York - one-man exhibition of sculpture and drawings

1955     
Invited to exhibit group of sculpture at Institute of Arts and Letters, New York.

1956     
Cultural Envoy for the United States State Department to Latin America, 21 countries, exhibiting sculpture and drawings; lectures in principal centers and universities. (January through July).
Caught in counter-revolution in Argentina. Eventful trip.Made many fine friendships during trip.

1957    
Invited to exhibit group of sculpture at Institute of Arts and Letters, New York
Commission for six large sculptures in marble, architect Brother Cajetan Baumann, for the House of Theology, Franciscan Seminary, Centerville, Ohio.
Commission for large terra cotta reliefs and for sculptural reliefs for bronze doors for same Seminary.
Produced sketches and small models for the Franciscan Seminary.
Carved in marble with the aid of an assistant the six large sculptures for the church, Querceta, Italy.
Maintained Studio in Querceta 1957-1959.
Final preparations for first Italian exhibition.
Personal exhibition in Rome, Galleria Schneider, sculpture and drawings.

1958    
Personal exhibition in Milano, Italy, Galleria Pater, sculpture and drawings.
Returned to New York with bronzes for exhibition at Midtown Galleries, New York
Appointed Dean of Rinehart School of Sculpture, Baltimore, Maryland - Graduate School (1958-1960).

1959    
Personal Exhibition, Midtown Galleries, New York, sculpture and drawings.
Various architectural commissions for churches in America, in wood and in bronze.
Maintained studio Candeglia, Pistoia where continued sculpture in plaster for bronze.
Several voyages - United States - Italy. Travel in Italy and France.

1960    
Many group and personal exhibitions in Italy and America (1957-1973).
Continued commissioned work in Italy.
Established a studio in Florence, maintained through present.

1962 Awarded Premio “Donatello” for “SIRENA”-heroic-sized bronze at “Mostra Donatello”, Florence, Italy.

1963
Exhibited group of bronzes –“Mostra Mercato Nazionale d'Arte Contemporenea”, Florence, Italy
Museum of Modern Art, New York, exhibited small marble sculptures.
”Mother & Child” - lifesize - porphyry, acquired for Fresno Mall, Fresno, California

1964     Invited to show bronzes at New York World's Fair

1966    
“Fiorino”' Exhibition, Strozzi Palace, Florence, Italy - awarded “Gold Medal Fiorino” for group of bronze sculpture.
Sculpture in bronze acquired by Modern Museum, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy
First exhibition in Japan - Cube Gallery, Tokio - sculptures in bronze.
FLOOD - in Florence Arno river overflows - loss of plaster models, terra cottas, and drawings, etc.

1967    
Exbibited bronze sculpture - Biennale D'Arte Triveneta - VIIth Concorso Internazionale del Bronzetto, Padova, Italy.
Exhibited bronzes “Opere di Artisti dell'Ottocento e Contemporanei”, Galleria d’Arte Spinetti, Florence, Italy.
Exhibited bronzes Galerie “La Palette Bleue”, Paris, France – “Artistes Italiens Contemporains”

1968    
Columbia University Music Library, New York acquired granite portrait of “Varese”.
Exhibited paintings at Accademia delle Arti del Disegno - Florence

1970    
Made an Honorary Member of L'Accademia Florentina delle Arti del Disegno
Exhibited Palazzo dei Congressi - Florence, Italy

1971    
Volume on “PUCCINELLI” by Massimo Carrà and Luigi Cavallo published in Milano, Italy, Edizioni Il Castello
Personal exhibition, Galleria “Il Castello”, Milano, Italy.
Presentation by Luigi Baldacci of volume “PUCCINELLI” at Gabinetto Viesseux, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence.

1972     
Personal exhibition at Galleria San Benedetto, Brescia, presented by Rafael de Grada.
Lectured at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence – “La Danza vista da uno Scultore”.
Consultant - Università Internazionale d'Arte - Florence (1972-73).

1973     
Invitation by H. S. Ede, director of Kettle's Yard Gallery, Cambridge University, England to hold personal exhibition in Jan-February 1974.
Invitation to hold personal exhibition at Duke Museum of Art, Durham, N.C. April-May 1974.

1972/1973     Portrait of Darius Milhaud – bronze – (casts at Mills Collage, Calif., Jerusalem Music Centre, Israel, Paris Conservatory of Music).