Giovanni Gribodo (13 May 1846 – 24 September 1924) was an Italian civil engineer, architect and entomologist. As an architect he was part of the Art Nouveau architectural movement known as the Liberty style, while as an entomologist, he was an important contributor to the global knowledge of the insect order Hymenoptera.
Architectural career
Gribodo graduated from the Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri in Turin ("Technical School for Engineers", now the Politecnico di Torino) in 1866 and took up the post of assistant of Practical Geometry and Applied Descriptive Geometry there. As an architect he designed a number of buildings and some of these are regarded as some of the best examples of Liberty Style in Turin. Many of Gribodo's buildings can be found in the area between the Corso Francia and the Via Cibrario, in the areas of Borgo San Paolo up to edge of the Borgo della Crocetta in Turin. He was best known for creating delicate smaller houses frequently in the Via Piffetti and on the hillside in the Art Nouveau style which he interpreted with his own eclectic taste; in Italy this style was known as Stile Liberty, taking its name from the Liberty store in London. Some examples include the Casa Masino, famous for featuring a sphinx; Casa Giuliano on Via Gatti; and the 1908 Palzio Pola Pola palace in Via Piffetti, at Via Beaumont. As an architect he also published a report on the building style used in the Turin Italian Exposition of 1872. He seems to have retired from architecture in 1919 as from then until the end of his life he seems to have been able to spend all his time conducting entomological research.
Entomology
Gribodo's contribution to entomology was mainly around the study of the Hymenoptera and is still considered to be of great value. He described many new taxa, and his publications are characterised by an acute critical sense and a wealth of original observations as well as demonstrating his serious approach to preparation and his extensive knowledge. These traits led Gribodo being respected member of the global entomological community. He co-operated with the greatest hymenopterologists of his time and with museums and scientific institutions, both at home and abroad, who competed to work with him. He had a long and fruitful relationship with the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova and he was a prime actor in the creation of the Museum's Hymenoptera collection at the end of the 19th century, being involved in the extensive study of the specimens which he collected in Italy and overseas in the course of several expeditions.
Gribodo published many papers between 1873 and 1896, which show that he was able to work extensively on his entomological studies; even then, there were two brief periods of inactivity in 1876–78 and in, 1885–91. From 1896, he ceased publishing on Hymenoptera and it was during this period that his career as an architect was at its peak. He continued to add to his own collection in his spare time, either by collecting specimens locally in Piedmont or through purchase from fellow collectors or insect dealers. After this period he was able to dedicate himself to his studies of Hymenoptera on a full-time basis, including the publication of a number of papers, as well as undertaking work to reorganise is very large collection of entomological specimens. At the age of 74, in July 1920, he is recorded as taking part in an entomological trip to Piedmont's Susa valley which lasted two days. In the early part of 1923 he developed a serious circulatory disorder which caused debilitating pain, but he recovered from this and returned to his work. However, in the spring of 1924, he suffered a relapse of greater severity and after months of painful illness he died on September 24, 1924. He worked for as long as he could, and his last paper was published posthumously.