ARCANGELO – PITTORE ULISSICO
March 17, 2024 – May 19, 2024
Curated by Veronica Zanardi
Critical text by Roberto Gramiccia
The Museo Butti | Contemporanea reopens after the latest renovation work on its new exhibition space, located on the second floor of Casa Butti, with a second exhibition: a small retrospective dedicated to the painter Arcangelo. Curated by conservator Veronica Zanardi and accompanied by a critical essay by Roberto Gramiccia, the exhibition is documented in the second volume of I quaderni del Butti.
The thirteen works on display span from the early 1990s to the most recent years of this century, encompassing several of the main pictorial cycles that define the artist’s body of work.
(…) Arcangelo: a heretical artist, a free-thinking follower of Giordano Bruno who, despite the oppressive calm, continues his journey and now arrives at this small yet precious museum to bear witness to his rough and seductive painting. Arcangelo, one of the few truly talented “painter-painters” at the peak of his maturity, has no interest in the exhaustion and soporific atmospheres of the post-contemporary. For many years, he has pursued a physical and mental journey, with the courage and courtesy of one who — as we once wrote — “travels the world with a bottle of wine (or rum) in hand, offering a drink to those he meets.”
(…) Introspection rather than representation. An exploration of the unknown rather than a chronicle of the present. A painting of gesture but also of compositional wisdom, born of an ancient tradition. Pulsating vitality and an inexhaustible desire for exploration reconcile his practice with actions and thoughts inspired by strong ideas — not the “weakist” resignation of those content to simply “get through the night.” Arcangelo, with his art, wants to make the night unforgettable — like a night of love with the most beautiful and beloved of women.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Arcangelo was born in Avellino in 1956. He lives and works between Milan and San Nazzaro, in the province of Benevento. In 1976, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, where he graduated in 1980. In his homeland, during the early 1980s, his first cycle of works — Terra mia — emerged, dominated by dark and dramatic atmospheres, created with humble, organic materials such as earth, charcoal, and pure pigments. These works marked a break from the chromatic vibrancy of his fellow Transavantgarde artists. Terra mia occupied Arcangelo for several years and laid the foundations of his practice, developing a raw gestural language that transformed the landscape into an abstract vision — visceral and carnal at the same time. The theme of the Earth, a physical and spiritual place imbued with ancestral symbols and signs, returns in many later cycles, enriched by insights and inspirations from the exploration of new cultural horizons.
Arcangelo’s entire practice, as Ivan Quaroni writes, “is rooted in a sense of place and belonging, and in the sharing of a cultural heritage — the Samnite heritage — which he has extended and transformed to encompass the legacies of other lands and peoples.” This deep connection to his origins “has evolved into something more powerful and universal, generating a ‘global’ painting, full of references from Africa and the Near East, the Mediterranean, distant China, and much more.”
Arcangelo debuted in Germany and Switzerland, at Galerie Tanit in Munich and Galerie Buchmann in Basel, as well as at “Perspective,” an exhibition held during Art Basel. His exhibitions continued at Galerie Janine Mautsch (Cologne), Galerie Pierre Huber (Geneva), Galerie Maeght-Lelong (Paris), Edward Totah Gallery (London), and he participated in the XI and XII Rome Quadriennale. In 1986, he opened at Studio Guenzani in Milan and exhibited at the PAC. His work was later shown in numerous museums and galleries: Le Centre d’Art Contemporain La Ferme du Buisson (Marne-La-Vallée), Galleria Civica di Modena, Galleria Civica d’Arte Contemporanea di Trento, Musée d’Art Moderne (Toulouse), Galerie Forsblom (Helsinki), Galerie Lüpke (Frankfurt), Galerie Municipale d’Art Contemporain (Saint-Priest), Galerie Bernard Cats (Brussels), Kodama Gallery (Osaka), Galerie Alice Pauli (Lausanne), Galleria Di Meo (Paris), Kunstverein (Braunschweig), Galleria Gentili (Florence), Caffè Florian (Venice), Fondazione Volume! (Rome), Lorenzelli Arte (Milan), PoliArt (Milan), Il Chiostro Arte Contemporanea (Saronno), Marco Rossi artecontemporanea (Milan/Verona/Turin), and Galerie Tanit (Beirut).
In 2019, he held a major exhibition at MA*GA Museum in Gallarate and at Milan Malpensa Airport (VIP Lounge, Terminal 1). In 2023, he opened Terra Mea at Galerie Mazarine Variations (Paris) and had a solo show at Art Paris with Galerie Tanit (Paris and Munich). In February 2024, he inaugurated two exhibitions in Rome: Morfina e Metamorfosi at Fondazione Volume! and another at Marco Rossi artecontemporanea – Progetto Roma.
Numerous monographic publications and artist books have been published, and his works have been acquired by public and private foundations.
MAIN EXHIBITIONS
Solo Exhibitions
1982: Studio Cavalieri, Bologna Centrosei, Bari / Studio Trisorio, Naples
1984: Terra mia, Galerie Tanit, München / Io romperò la musica del legno, Galerie Buchmann, Basel
1985: Arcangelo, Notturno, Galerie Janine Mautsch, Cologne / Arcangelo, Rietberg, Galerie Buchmann, Basel / Galerie Harald Behm, Hamburg / Galerie Klaus Lüpke, Frankfurt am Main
1986: Arcangelo, Villa Waldberta, Galerie Tanit, Munich / Arcangelo, Galerie Janine Mautsch, Cologne / Arcangelo, Galerie Pierre Huber, Genève / Arcangelo, Galerie Ingrid Raab, Berlin / Arcangelo, Galerie Engström, Stockholm / Arcangelo, Terra mia, Studio Guenzani, Milan
1987: Arcangelo, Galerie Maeght-Lelong, Paris / Arcangelo, Edward Totah Gallery, London / Arcangelo, Bahnwärterhaus, Galerie der Stadt, Esslingen / Arcangelo, Toccare la terra, PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milano / Arcangelo, Galerie Alexander Hotel, Zürich / Arcangelo, Galerie Engstrom, Stockholm
1988: Arcangelo, Galleria Il Capricorno, Venezia / Arcangelo, Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Kiel / Arcangelo, Altare, Galerie Tanit, Munich / Arcangelo, Galerie Harald Behm, Hamburg / Arcangelo, Nero italiano, Galerie Janine Mautsch, Köln
1989: Arcangelo,Galerie Lupke, Frankfurt, am Main / Arcangelo,Labirinto, Kunstverein, Braunschweig / Arcangelo, Palazzo Diocleziano, Galleria Protiron, Split / Arcangelo, Buchmann, Basel
1990: Arcangelo, Profili, Galleria Civica, Palazzo dei Musei, Modena
1991: Arcangelo, Galleria Civica, Palazzina dei Giardini, Modena / Arcangelo, Galleria Civica d’Arte Contemporanea, Trento / Arcangelo, Unica, Caffè Florian, Venezia / Arcangelo, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn / Arcangelo, Galleria Gentili, Firenze / Arcangelo, Städtische Galerie, Regensburg / Arcangelo, Galerie Tanit, Munich / Arcangelo, Espace des Arts, Colomiers
1992: Arcangelo, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki / Arcangelo, Installazione, Musée d’Art Moderne, Réfectoire des Jacobins, Toulouse / Progetti 1982-1992, Galerie Barbaro & Cie., Paris / Arcangelo, Galerie Buchmann, Basel / Arcangelo, Galerie Tanit, Köln Arcangelo, Galerie Janine Mautsch, Cologne
c1993: Arcangelo, Galerie Tegenbosch, Heusden aan de Maas / Arcangelo, Carte 1983-1993, Galleria La Scaletta, San Polo di Reggio Emilia / Arcangelo, Centre d’Art Contemporain La Ferme du Buisson, Marne-la-Vallée, Noisiel / Arcangelo, Galerie Municipale d’Art Contemporain, Saint-Priest / Arcangelo, Kodama Gallery, Osaka / Arcangelo, Galleria Gentili, Florenze
1994: Arcangelo, Galerie Tanit, München / Arcangelo, Le stanze 1983-1994, OTTO Gallery, Bologna / Arcangelo, Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne
1995: Arcangelo, Galleria Neos, Santeramo, Bari / Arcangelo, Galerie Lüpke, Frankfurt am Main / Arcangelo, Galerie Kaj Forsblom, Zürich
1996: Arcangelo, La Nave, Galleria Gentili, Firenze / Arcangelo, Verso il mare, Galerie Di Meo, Paris / Arcangelo, Misteri, Galerie Tanit, München
1997: Arcangelo, Misteri, OTTO Gallery, Bologna / Arcangelo, Misteri, Galerie Janine Mautsch, Cologne
1998: Arcangelo, Galleria Oddi-Baglioni, Roma / Arcangelo, Disegni 1983-1998, Civica Raccolta del Disegno, Salò / Arcangelo, Misteri, Galerie Bernard Cats, Bruxelles / Arcangelo, Galerie Lupke, Frankfurt am Main / Arcangelo, Terra Santa Terra Nera, Galerie der Stadt Stuttgart, Stuttgart / Arcangelo, Tappeti persiani, Galerie Tanit, München
1999: Temporanea, Anfore, Caffè Florian, Venezia / Arcangelo, Galleria Fumagalli, Bergamo
Munich2000: Tappeti persiani, sarcofago, anfore, Lorenzelli Arte, Milan
2001: Trofei di caccia, Galerie Tanit, München
2002: Feticci, OTTO Gallery, Bologna
2003: Sanniti, Galerie Tanit, Munich Monotipi, Palazzo Farnese, Ortona
2004: Terra dei Sanniti, Fondazione Volume!, Roma / Monotipi, Galleria Bellinzona, Milan / Lunga notte di stelle sannite, Lorenzelli Arte, Milano / Le stanze sannite, Arcangelo, Obraz, Milan
2005: Arcangelo, Monotipi, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Strasbourg / Le mie case, Galerie Tanit, Munich
2006: Case delle donne scelte, OTTO Gallery, Bologna / Casa di tolleranza, vdf-arte contemporanea, Lonato / I giorni dei Vedenti, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki / Arcangelo. Geografie del tempo, PoliArt, Milan
2007: Arcangelo, Galerie Galvani, Toulouse
2008: Arcangelo, Kenya Masai, Il Chiostro Arte Contemporanea, Saronno
2009: Arcangelo, Kenya Masai, Marco Rossi artecontemporanea, Verona and Pietrasanta
2010: Ségou, Fondazione Volume!, Roma / Ségou, Lorenzelli Arte, Milan / Kenya Masai, OTTO Gallery, Bologna / Kenya Masai, Galerie Placido, Paris
2011: Ségou, PoliArt, Milano / Ségou, Umberto a Mare, Forio, Ischia / Ségou, Chiesa dell’Immacolata, Castello Aragonese, Ischia
2012: Beirut, Espace Kettaneh-Kunigk (Tanit), Beirut / Arcangelo, Opere su carta 1983- 2012, Francesco Clivio Arte Moderna, Parma / Arcangelo, Da terra mia. 1983-2012, Marco Rossi artecontemporanea, Monza / Arcangelo, Da terra mia. 1983-2012, Eventinove artecontemporanea, Borgomanero
2013: Da terra mia. 1983-2012, Marco Rossi artecontemporanea, Milan, Verona / Da terra mia. 1983-2012, KPMG, Milano / Da terra mia. 1983-2012, Eventinove artecontemporanea, Torino
2014: Arcangelo. Opere su carta 1983- 2014, OTTO Gallery, Bologna
2015: Arcangelo, Fare corpo, Fare luogo, Officine Saffi, Milan / Arcangelo, Galleria Francesco Clivio Arte Moderna, Milan / Arcangelo, Irpini, PoliArt, Rovereto / Nessuno sulla terra può essere tanto lontano dal mare, Marco Rossi artecontemporanea, Pietrasanta / 56° Premio Internazionale Bugatti- Segantini alla carriera ad Arcangelo, Villa Brivio, Nova Milanese / Arcangelo, Il Frantoio, Capalbio
2016: Arcangelo, A sud del mondo, Galleria Progettoarte-Elm, Milan
2017: Arcangelo, Via Appia, Galleria Francesco Clivio, Milano / Arcangelo, Castello di Arena Po, Arena Po
2019: Fiori di croco, Marco Rossi artecontemporanea, Pietrasanta, Milano, Verona / Fiori di croco, Libreria Antiquaria Minerva, Padova / Le mie mani toccano la terra, Museo MA*GA, Gallarate / Le mie mani toccano la terra, SEA e MA*GA per l’Arte – Mostre e progetti espositivi negli spazi di Malpensa, Sale VIP Lounge, Terminal 1, Milan
2023: Terra Mea, Galerie Mazarine Variations, Paris / Arcangelo, Galerie Tanit, Art Paris, Parigi / Arcangelo, Galerie Tanit, Munich / Mille Terre, MiArt, Marco Rossi artecontemporanea, Milan
2024: Morfina e Metamorfosi, Fondazione VOLUME!, Rome / Arcangelo, Anni novanta, Marcorossi artecontemporanea, Progetto Roma, Roma / Arcangelo: Pittore Ulissico, Museo Butti | Contemporanea, Viggiù, Varese
THE CATALOGUE IS ON SALE AT THE MUSEUM
Critical anthology
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION
