PINO PINELLI
Pino Pinelli was born in Catania in 1938. After completing his artistic studies in his hometown, he moved to Milan, where he has lived and worked since the 1960s. From the very beginning, his research focused on the essence of painting, aiming to create a sense of depth within the pictorial surface. This exploration led to his early series Topologie and Monocromi (1973-1975), where the surface, initially defined by a thin boundary line, appears animated by a subtle restlessness. These experiments positioned him within the Analytical Painting movement, a term coined by critic Filiberto Menna. In the mid-1970s, Pinelli introduced Dissemination, a groundbreaking phase in which painting, broken into fragments, is arranged on the wall in a scattered yet intentional manner, resembling the gesture of a sower spreading seeds. Over time, these monochrome fragments, almost sculptural in nature, evolved—transitioning from the rigid forms of the 1970s to more expansive shapes that seem to swell with dynamic energy. By the late 1980s, they took on the appearance of delicate, weightless shards, characterized by their signature velvety texture that invites tactile engagement. Pinelli has presented his work in numerous solo exhibitions at major institutions, including Palazzo Reale and Gallerie d’Italia, Milan (2018); Fondazione Ducci, Rome, and MARCA, Catanzaro (2017); Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, and Palazzo della Cultura, Catania (2016); Galleria Comunale d’Arte Contemporanea, Arezzo (2014); Rocca Roveresca, Senigallia (2013); Villa La Versiliana, Marina di Pietrasanta (2010); Palazzo Strozzi, Florence (2006); Kunstverein Schloss Lamberg, Steyr, and the Italian Cultural Institute, London (2001); Civica Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Gallarate (1999); Kunstverein Villa Frank, Ludwigsburg (1995); Palazzo Alborghetti, Osio Sotto, and Teatro Sociale, Bergamo (1994); and Palazzo Municipale, Morterone (1989). He has also participated in major group exhibitions at institutions such as Rocca Roveresca, Senigallia (2018); Villa Contarini, Piazzola sul Brenta (2017); Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona (2016); Palazzo della Permanente, Milan (2014, 2007, 1995); CAMeC, La Spezia (2012); Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Villa Croce, Genoa (2009); the Italian Cultural Institute, Prague (2005); Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin (2003); Palazzo Rospigliosi, Rome (2001); Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Bologna (1998); Nouveau Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Langres (1997); Biblioteca Regionale, Palermo (1990); Kunsthalle, Darmstadt (1988); Kunstverein, Frankfurt, and Kunstverein, Hanover (1986); Centre National d’Art Contemporain Villa Arson, Nice (1985); Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Verona (1982); Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (1981); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1978); Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna, Turin (1977); and Galleria Civica, Modena (1976).
Throughout his career, Pinelli has taken part in major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (1997, 1986), the Rome Quadriennale (2005, 1986), and the Lalit Kala Akademi Triennale in New Delhi.
