SALVATORE PROVINO
Born in Bagheria on June 4, 1943, he moved to Rome at a young age, where he studied under fellow Sicilian artist Renato Guttuso. In 1964, at just 21, he held his first solo exhibition at Galleria Consorti in Rome. By the late 1960s, his painting began to reflect the sensibilities of British art, particularly the influence of Francis Bacon. This period, marked by a figurative approach, also drew inspiration from Mario Sironi. His work explored the human condition, using dramatic figuration to depict the struggles of an entire social class facing industrialization and exploitation. In 1974, after engaging in discussions with mathematician and philosopher Lucio Lombardo Radice, he became interested in Lobachevsky’s theories on the sphericity of bodies and geometry as the structural foundation of physical space. His compositions evolved—geometries became spherical, structures appeared to levitate, and forms gained dynamic movement. His research increasingly blurred the line between mathematics and art, emphasizing their shared intuitive and creative nature. A pivotal journey to Peru in 1979 deepened his artistic exploration, establishing a fascinating dialogue between geometry and philosophy, the visible and the invisible. This marked the beginning of his artistic maturity, where matter and color became essential tools for expressing a vision of a dynamic, infinite world. Through meticulous execution and expressive gestures, he pushed beyond the physical limits of the canvas. In 1986, he was appointed professor of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo, later moving to the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples. From the 1990s onward, he held solo exhibitions in prestigious national and international venues, including Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, Castel dell'Ovo in Naples, and Magazzini del Sale in Cervia. His work was presented by renowned critics and curators such as Lorenzo Canova, Fabrizio D'Amico, Franco Farina, Aldo Gerbino, Flaminio Gualdoni, Paolo Portoghesi, Paolo Rizzi, Franco Solmi, and Tommaso Trini. In 2002, he became the first Western artist to exhibit at the National Museum of Chinese History in Beijing, followed by major exhibitions in Shenzhen, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Changshu. This marked the beginning of a decade of international showcases, taking him from Greece to the United States, from Bulgaria to Argentina, while continuing to exhibit regularly in Sicily. He currently lives and works in Rome.
