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Francesco Vezzoli

Francesco Vezzoli was born in 1971, in Brescia, Italy. He studied at the Central St. Martin’s School of Art in London. 

One of the most successful contemporary Italian artists, his work can be described as a series of strong allegories about contemporary culture, with a rich subtext of elaborate references involving video installations, petit-point embroideries, photography, live performances, media experiments and -most recently- classical sculpture.

His works have been selected four times at the Venice Biennale: at the 49th, 51st and 52nd art editions held in 2001, 2005 and 2007, respectively, and at the 2014 Architecture Biennial. His works have also been featured in other international exhibitions such as the Whitney Biennial 2006, the 26th Biennale in Sao Paulo, the 6th International Biennale in Istanbul and Performa (2007 and 2015).

He has also held solo shows around the world in venues such as the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Tate Modern, London; MOCA, Los Angeles; MoMA PS1 in New York; MAXXI, Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Kunsthalle, Wien; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; The Garage CCC, Moscow; The Power Plant, Toronto; Jeu de Paume, Paris; Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin; Museo Serralves, Porto; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Le Consortium, Dijon; Fondazione Museion in Bolzano and NMNM - Nouveau Musée National de Monaco.

His work has been shown, among others, at: the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, le Grand Palais in Paris, Museo del Novecento in Milan, Palazzo Grassi - François Pinault Foundation in Venice, Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, the Migros Museum in Zurich, Neues Museum in Weimer, Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan and Musée National Picasso in Paris. 

In 2017, he produced a live opera performance for the 40th anniversary of Centre Pompidou and in 2019 he brought the exhibition 'Huysmans Critique d’Art: De Degas à Grünewald, sous le Regard de Francesco Vezzoli' at Musée d’Orsay in Paris. In 2021, Vezzoli worked with Fondazione Brescia Musei on the exhibition project 'Palcoscenici Archeologici', and again that year he was the protagonist of the 'Francesco Vezzoli in Florence' exhibition, with two new sculptures in Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. This made him the first living Italian artist to produce a site-specific work for Piazza della Signoria, creating an interaction between contemporary art and the city’s historical heritage.

His latest exhibitions, 'VITA DVLCIS: fear and desire in the Roman Empire' at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome and 'Museums of Tears' at Museo Correr in Venice, allowed him to relate his recent artworks, respectively, to Roman archaeological masterpieces and Italian historical paintings.

  • Biography

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  • Bibliography

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Selected artworks

  • Francesco Vezzoli, The Eternal Kiss, 2015

    Francesco Vezzoli The Eternal Kiss, 2015

    Roman heads (woman head circa 117-138 A.D.; man head circa 2nd Century A.D.), white Carrara marble, watercolour, black African marble plinth
    49 x 35 x 49 cm
    19 1/4 x 13 3/4 x 19 1/4 in

  • Francesco Vezzoli, ABSTRACT LEONARDESQUE MADONNA WITH CHILD, 2024

    Francesco Vezzoli ABSTRACT LEONARDESQUE MADONNA WITH CHILD, 2024

    Cotton embroidery on canvas, metallic embroidery, custom jewelry, artist's frame
    35 x 27 cm
    14 x 10 1/2 in

  • Francesco Vezzoli, La Nuova Dolce Vita (Eva de Milo), 2009

    Francesco Vezzoli La Nuova Dolce Vita (Eva de Milo), 2009

    Double-sided cut out cardboard
    200 x 125 cm
    78 3/4 x 49 1/4 in
    Edition 1 of 1 + 1 AP

  • Francesco Vezzoli, Olga Forever (Olga Picasso, bal des Beaumont, 1924), 2012

    Francesco Vezzoli Olga Forever (Olga Picasso, bal des Beaumont, 1924), 2012

    Oil on canvas, laserprint and embroidery collage
    121 x 84 x 3,5 cm
    47 5/8 x 33 1/8 x 1 3/8 in

  • Francesco Vezzoli, Olga Forever (Olga Picasso en mariée, Boisgeloup), 2012

    Francesco Vezzoli Olga Forever (Olga Picasso en mariée, Boisgeloup), 2012

    Oil on canvas and laserprint collage
    206 x 134 x 7 cm, 81 1/8 x 52 3/4 x 2 3/4 in (framed)

  • Francesco Vezzoli, MANIFESTO FEMMINISTA CHE PIANGE (LE DONNE PROTAGONISTE DELL’ITALIA CHE VUOLE CAMBIARE), 2017

    Francesco Vezzoli MANIFESTO FEMMINISTA CHE PIANGE (LE DONNE PROTAGONISTE DELL’ITALIA CHE VUOLE CAMBIARE), 2017

    Inkjet print on paper, water-based permanent marker
    framed with black wooden frame

    170 x 120 x 6 cm
    66 7/8 x 47 1/4 x 2 3/8 in

    Edition of 1 + 1 AP - Edition 1

Gallery exhibitions

Museum exhibitions

Selected press

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