Valerio Adami
Valerio Adami is an Italian painter, educated at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, he has since worked in both London and Paris, greatly influenced by Pop Art.
Adami was born 17 March 1935, in Bologna. At the age of ten, he began to study painting under the instruction of Felice Carena. He was accepted into the Brera Academy in 1951, where he studied as a draughtsman until 1954, in the studio of Achille Funi. In 1955, He went to Paris, where he met by Roberto Matta and Wifredo Lam, who greatly influenced. His first solo exhibition came in 1959 in Milan.
In his early career, Adami's works were expressionistic, but by the time of his second exhibition in 1964, at Kassel, he had developed a style of painting reminiscent of French cloisonnism, featuring regions of flat color bordered by black lines. Unlike Gauguin, however, Adami's subjects were highly stylized and often presented in fragments, as seen in Telescoping Rooms (1965).
In the 1970s, Adami began to address politics in his art, and incorporated subject matter such as modern European history, literature, philosophy, and mythology. In 1971, he and his brother Giancarlo created the film “Vacances dans le désert”. In 1974, he illustrated a Helmut Heissenbuttel poem, Occasional Poem No. 27, Ten Lessons on the Reich with ten original lithographs (Gallerie Maeght). In 1975, the philosopher Jacques Derrida devoted a long essay, “+R: Into the Bargain”, to Adami's work, using an exhibition of Adami's drawings as a pretext to discuss the function of “the letter and the proper name in painting”, with reference to “narration, technical reproduction, ideology, the phoneme, the biographeme, and politics”.
Between 1985 and 1998, there were four retrospective exhibits of Adami's work, which were held in Paris, the Centre Julio-Gonzalez de Valence (Spain), Tel Aviv, and Buenos Aires. In 2010, the Boca Raton Museum of Art devoted a special exhibit to Adami's paintings and drawings.
Adami's paintings and drawings in pubblic collections
Musée National d’art Moderne/ Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
I gilè di Lenin, 1972
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 365
Thorvaldesen, 1980
Pencil on dyed paper, cm 198 x 147
L’été en Suisse, 17.7.1985
Pencil on dyed paper, cm 198 x 147
Interno con bidé, 1967
Pencil on paper, cm 32,5 x 43,8
Ciparissa, 1983
Pencil on paper, cm 48 x 36
Entre père fifre, 1983
Pencil on paper, cm 48 x 36
Collecton de l’état Français, Paris
Interieur colonial, 1967
Acrylic on canvas, cm 190 x 135
Valmy, 1989
Acrylic on canvas, cm 194 x 263
Portrait de Pierre Boulez, 1988
Acrylic on canvas, cm 152 x 114
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Figura che scende da una sedia in un interno di caffetteria, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Musée d’Art Moderne de Grenoble
Note su un ritratto militare, 1972
Acrylic on canvas, cm 130 x 97
Musée Cantini d’art Moderne de Marseille
La camera rouge, 1974
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (Montecarlo)
La Domenica di Amburgo, 1971
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander ( I act), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander (I act, II scene), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander (II act), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander (III act), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Fondation Maeght, Saint paul de Vence
Bedroom scene/Appartamento sulla terza strada, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 365
Sigmund Freud in viaggio Londra, 1973
Acrylic on canvas cm 130 x 97
Musée Picasso, Antibes
Picasso et la femme néoclassique, 1987
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Musée d’Art Moderne, saint - Etienne
Ritratto d Anton von Webern, 1971
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Museum of Modern Art, Minneapolis
Orfeo e Euridice, 1972
Acrylic on canvas, cm 225 x 365
Mc.Crory Corporation, New York
Exit, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 180
1915 - 1918, 1970
Acrylic on canvas, cm 130 x 97
Museo de Arte Moderno, Caracas
Interno Pubblico, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 225 x 365
IVAM - Institut Valencià d’art Modern, Centre Julio Gonzàlez, Valencia
Plein Air, 1996
Acrylic on canvas, cm 265 x 540
(each painting of the triptych)
Fondaccion Mirò, Barcellona
Gymnasium, 1974
Acrylic on canvas, cm 280 x 190
Musée Royaux des Beaux Arts, Bruxelles
Il posto n. 5, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 180
Stanze a cannocchiale, 1965
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198,5 x 300
S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum vor Actuele Kunst, Gent
Hotel Chelsea Bathroom, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 365
Rotterdam Museum, Rotterdam
Cinema, 1970
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, München
Hotel, figure e termosifone, 1969
Pencil on paper cm 77,7 x 57
Stådtische Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim
Back Home, 1992
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Amos Anderson Art Museum, Helsinki
Omaggio a Gallen-Kallela, 2001
Acrylic on canvas, cm 146 x 114
Maija and Urpo Lahtinen Foundation, Villa Urpo, Tampere (Finland)
Shopping-Notturno, 2002
Acrylic on canvas, cm 146 x 65
Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
La vallée de Jerusalem. Tombeau d’Absalon, 1992
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Frissiras Museum, Athens
Il Satiro, 1995
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Folk dance - Si balla all’est la libertà, 1994
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias, Oviedo
Blu notte, 2004
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Museo d’Arte Moderna, Roma
Alice nel paese della violenza, 1963
Acrylic on canvas, cm 195 x 130
Museo di arte Moderna Palazzo Reale, Milano
Privacy, 1996
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Galleria d’arte Moderna, Bergamo
Temple & sanctuaries - Ueno (Tokyo), 1994
Acrylic on canvas, cm 92 x 73
Museo d’Arte Moderna, Lissone
Camel, 1967
Acrylic on canvas, cm 194 x 124
Adami's paintings and drawings in pubblic collections
Musée National d’art Moderne/ Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
I gilè di Lenin, 1972
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 365
Thorvaldesen, 1980
Pencil on dyed paper, cm 198 x 147
L’été en Suisse, 17.7.1985
Pencil on dyed paper, cm 198 x 147
Interno con bidé, 1967
Pencil on paper, cm 32,5 x 43,8
Ciparissa, 1983
Pencil on paper, cm 48 x 36
Entre père fifre, 1983
Pencil on paper, cm 48 x 36
Collecton de l’état Français, Paris
Interieur colonial, 1967
Acrylic on canvas, cm 190 x 135
Valmy, 1989
Acrylic on canvas, cm 194 x 263
Portrait de Pierre Boulez, 1988
Acrylic on canvas, cm 152 x 114
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Figura che scende da una sedia in un interno di caffetteria, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Musée d’Art Moderne de Grenoble
Note su un ritratto militare, 1972
Acrylic on canvas, cm 130 x 97
Musée Cantini d’art Moderne de Marseille
La camera rouge, 1974
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (Montecarlo)
La Domenica di Amburgo, 1971
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander ( I act), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander (I act, II scene), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander (II act), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Der fliegende Hollander (III act), 2003
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Fondation Maeght, Saint paul de Vence
Bedroom scene/Appartamento sulla terza strada, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 365
Sigmund Freud in viaggio Londra, 1973
Acrylic on canvas cm 130 x 97
Musée Picasso, Antibes
Picasso et la femme néoclassique, 1987
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Musée d’Art Moderne, saint - Etienne
Ritratto d Anton von Webern, 1971
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Museum of Modern Art, Minneapolis
Orfeo e Euridice, 1972
Acrylic on canvas, cm 225 x 365
Mc.Crory Corporation, New York
Exit, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 180
1915 - 1918, 1970
Acrylic on canvas, cm 130 x 97
Museo de Arte Moderno, Caracas
Interno Pubblico, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 225 x 365
IVAM - Institut Valencià d’art Modern, Centre Julio Gonzàlez, Valencia
Plein Air, 1996
Acrylic on canvas, cm 265 x 540
(each painting of the triptych)
Fondaccion Mirò, Barcellona
Gymnasium, 1974
Acrylic on canvas, cm 280 x 190
Musée Royaux des Beaux Arts, Bruxelles
Il posto n. 5, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 180
Stanze a cannocchiale, 1965
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198,5 x 300
S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum vor Actuele Kunst, Gent
Hotel Chelsea Bathroom, 1969
Acrylic on canvas, cm 243 x 365
Rotterdam Museum, Rotterdam
Cinema, 1970
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, München
Hotel, figure e termosifone, 1969
Pencil on paper cm 77,7 x 57
Stådtische Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim
Back Home, 1992
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Amos Anderson Art Museum, Helsinki
Omaggio a Gallen-Kallela, 2001
Acrylic on canvas, cm 146 x 114
Maija and Urpo Lahtinen Foundation, Villa Urpo, Tampere (Finland)
Shopping-Notturno, 2002
Acrylic on canvas, cm 146 x 65
Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
La vallée de Jerusalem. Tombeau d’Absalon, 1992
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Frissiras Museum, Athens
Il Satiro, 1995
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Folk dance - Si balla all’est la libertà, 1994
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias, Oviedo
Blu notte, 2004
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Museo d’Arte Moderna, Roma
Alice nel paese della violenza, 1963
Acrylic on canvas, cm 195 x 130
Museo di arte Moderna Palazzo Reale, Milano
Privacy, 1996
Acrylic on canvas, cm 198 x 147
Galleria d’arte Moderna, Bergamo
Temple & sanctuaries - Ueno (Tokyo), 1994
Acrylic on canvas, cm 92 x 73
Museo d’Arte Moderna, Lissone
Camel, 1967
Acrylic on canvas, cm 194 x 124
