Nicola De Maria

Nicola De Maria is an Italian painter born in Foglianise, Benevento, on December 6, 1954. Moving to Turin as a young man, he initially pursued medical studies specializing in Neurology, a profession he never practiced, choosing instead to dedicate himself to art. After a brief period in experimental photography, from the mid-1970s he began producing works characterized by pencil, pastel, watercolor, and oil drawings, later evolving towards painting on canvas and walls.
De Maria is known for his abstract and spiritual pictorial language, combining vivid and intense colors with suggestive metaphorical and abstract images, often accompanied by light, poetic inscriptions. His art aims to evoke poetic and musical emotions, transforming each work into a visual lyric.
In the 1980s, he became a leading figure of the Transavanguardia movement, theorized by Achille Bonito Oliva, alongside artists such as Mimmo Paladino and Francesco Clemente. He participated in major international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale and Documenta Kassel, and held numerous solo exhibitions in cities like Paris, New York, Linz, Rome, Prato, and Turin. He currently lives and works in Turin, remaining a prominent figure in contemporary Italian art.