Marina Apollonio

Marina Apollonio, born on November 12, 1940, in Trieste, is one of the most representative figures of the international optical-kinetic art movement. Daughter of the art critic and contemporary art history professor Umbro Apollonio, she grew up in a stimulating artistic environment that deeply influenced her education and artistic research. After completing her secondary education, she attended painting courses under Giuseppe Santomaso at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, where she developed a strong interest in geometry and visual perception.
In the 1960s, Marina Apollonio began pioneering research on perception and visual communication, employing industrial materials and techniques to create dynamic effects and optical illusions. She worked in Paris at architect Édouard Albert's studio, an experience that enriched her design perspective. Upon returning to Italy, she produced works such as metallic reliefs with alternating chromatic sequences and circular dynamics, reflecting her commitment to depersonalized and programmed art, opposing expressive abstraction.
Her work is characterized by the use of pure geometric forms, fluorescent colors, and materials like aluminum, aiming to stimulate the viewer's perception and evoke a sense of movement and depth. She participated in important group exhibitions and won awards such as the first prize at the "Il Chiodo d'oro" biennial in Palermo in 1964. Her art has been showcased in numerous exhibitions, including her first solo show in Italy, "Marina Apollonio. Beyond the Circle," at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, highlighting her role as a leading figure in optical-kinetic art.