Ennio Calabria

Ennio Calabria was an Italian painter and illustrator born in Tripoli on March 7, 1937, and passed away in Rome on March 1, 2024. After obtaining his artistic diploma in 1955, he attended the Free School of the Nude at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, where he lived and worked throughout his life. His first solo exhibition took place in 1958 at the La Feluca Gallery in Rome, where he was immediately recognized by critics as one of the most significant painters of the generation emerging in the 1950s and 1960s. Calabria was a keen observer of his time, with a painting style focused on both social and existential themes, often marked by a Marxist ideological influence.
In 1959, he participated for the first time in the Rome Quadriennale, also attending the 1972, 1986, and 1999 editions. In 1961, he co-founded the group "Il pro e il contro" alongside artists such as Renzo Vespignani, Ugo Attardi, Fernando Farulli, Piero Guccione, and Alberto Gianquinto, as well as critics Antonio Del Guercio, Dario Micacchi, and Morosini. This group became a key reference for figurative art research in Italy during a period dominated by the informal art market.
Calabria also exhibited at the Venice International Art Biennale in 1964, where he served as a board member from 1974 to 1978. His artistic work includes illustrations for stories, poetry, and book covers. Among his notable works is a series of portraits inspired by Pope John Paul II, created between 2002 and 2005, some of which were published in the volume "La forma cerca forma."