Valerio Adami

Valerio Adami, born in Bologna, Italy, on March 17, 1935, is one of the most important Italian painters of the second half of the twentieth century. After moving to Milan in 1944, he studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts under Achille Funi, graduating in 1955. His early artistic formation was influenced by expressionism, particularly the work of Francis Bacon, and later by American Pop Art, especially Roy Lichtenstein. During the 1950s and 1960s, he traveled and worked between Milan, London, and Paris, engaging with artists such as Wifredo Lam, Roberto Sebastian Matta, and Richard Hamilton. In 1958, he won the Marzotto Prize and held his first solo exhibition at the Galleria del Naviglio in Milan in 1959. He participated in Documenta 3 in Kassel in 1964 and exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1968.
Adami's style is characterized by the use of flat, continuous color fields outlined by sharp black lines, creating a comic-strip-like narrative with fantastic and ironic elements. His works reflect a sociological interest and are based on life experiences and interpersonal relationships, often manipulating journalistic material to give it new forms. Throughout his career, he has maintained a significant presence in the international art scene, producing works that virtuously combine drawing and painting with references to classical myths, literature, music, and cinema.
Valerio Adami is regarded as a leading figure of the Italian New Figuration and a globally recognized artist.