Alberto Bertoldi
Clouds
Alberto Bertoldi
Clouds
Alberto Bertoldi
Clouds, a series of paintings
Alberto Bertoldi was born on the 29th of November in the late autumn of 1955 in
Luserna San Giovanni - a town in the mountainous province of Turin, Northern
Italy. The rugged terrain of the area in which Bertoldi spent his childhood had
a profound effect on him – it triggered his sensibility for nature and captured
his imagination. Aged just fourteen, a vinyl record cover depicting an endless
American plain with a road vanishing in to the distance inspired him to put brush
to canvas in an attempt to recreate this sense of immense vastness and his obsession with painting started.
He began to explore these emotions through vibrant landscape paintings, encouraged by a meeting with surrealist artist Leone Garriano (1931 – 2008) whose
artworks are deeply rooted in the classical landscape tradition so ingrained in the
Italian art historical cannon. In 1973, Bertoldi prepared his first solo exhibition,
during a period of extraordinary curiosity and experimentation.
He made regular visits to the studio of the artist Cinello Losi (1928) and under the
guidance of professor Gino Moro from the Brera Academy he attended the Nude
School to develop his artistic skills. He spent the next decade devoting himself
to the refinement of his technique and expressing of his ideas, whilst embarking
on a tour of Europe to study the great Classical artists. “Dal surrealismo indietro
uno dei primi libri che mi regalai fu il famoso Le surrealisme e la painture, poi,
quando ho potuto, ho cominciato vedere in concreto, anche fuori dall’italia, i
quadri che avevo amato tanto; ti dirò che è stata un’esperienza strana vedere in
concreto tanti quadri che conoscevo così bene”. “Going back in time, one of the
first books I bought was the famous Le surrealism et le peinture. It was an extraordinary experience – when I started to travel, to see in the flesh around the world,
those paintings I knew so well and had loved so much”. He was fascinated by El
Greco, Hieronymous Bosch and the Flemish, English and German Classical landscape masters, who inspired him to capture the ethereal presence of life in nature
through contemporary painting.
In the early nineties Bertoldi opened a new studio space in Piacenza and began a
collaboration with the Braga Art Gallery. His visual language became clear, defined
and recognisable, as his landscapes began to look further towards their skies. In
1996 he opened a large solo exhibition focusing on these plein air works, with a
catalogue edited by the art historian Stefano Fugazza. Around this time, Bertoldi
had encounters with the gallery owner Igino Consigli and the famous art historian
Federico Zeri whom both greatly encouraged his research and practice. It became
clear during this period to Bertoldi, that the clouds were the real protagonists of
his pictures – the sky-scapes look mighty as if they are ethereal guardians of something powerful and sacred. Over the next few years, Bertoldi had several important solo shows, winning awards including the Purchase Award and Solo-Artist
Exhibition Award at the Forni Gallery in Bologna. An extensive catalogue of his
work was published by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Piacenza, featuring
poetic accompaniments to the paintings written by his friend Maurizio Agnellini.
In 2000, his works were selected to be exhibited at the Society Redaktionfest in
Vienna and a catalogue of his works entitled “The Impossible Everywhere”, edited
by the curator Flavio Arensi was released to accompany a grand exhibition at the
Bugno Gallery.
Bertoldi’s reputation quickly spread, with major exhibitions and catalogues,
curated and edited by prominent art world figures including; Domenico Montalto,
Agostino De Rossa Alberto Agazzano and Giorgio Soavi. He also presented a
series of touring lectures, culminating in a presentation at the IUAV University in
Venice and collaborated with the Art’é auction house and their artist promotions
organisation for several years on major works.
In 2006 a retrospective of his work was held at the Museo di Villa Breda in Padua,
with a catalogue containing texts by art historians and curators including; Ruggero
Pierantoni, Luca Mercalli, Gherardo degli Azzoni Avogardo, Maurizio Agnelli,
with poetry by Ala Merini and edited by Beatrice Buscaroli. His reputation spread
across the continent with more important solo shows in Italy, and further afield in
group shows at the Artery Gallery in Edinburgh, the Hermitage Gallery in Dallas,
Texas and Galerie de l’Europe in Paris. In 2007 he staged an important exhibition in the veritable Museo di Luzzarra in Reggio Emilia with an accompanying
catalogue.
In 2011 he exhibited at the Venice Biennale, supervised by the famous Italian
art critic Vittorio Sgarbi. He continues to regularly exhibit in his home country
where his reputation has become that of an eminent painter who represents the
strong heritage of Italian painting. “Il mio “sforzo inconscio”, che posso ben riconoscere guardando a ritroso, è quello di fare una pittura contemporanea (e i miei
lavori credo siano assolutamente contemporanei), ma radicata nella tradizione,
senza volerlo, ho fatto mio un motto che è anche il titolo di un famoso libro di
psicologia “senza radici non si vola”. “I make contemporary art with a sort of
‘unconscious impulse’ (I believe my paintings are without doubt contemporary),
well rooted in tradition. I have spontaneously created my motto, which is also the
title of a famous psychology book Without roots you don’t fly”.
Solo Shows:
2014Galleria Sala – Piacenza
2013Galleria Libreria Einaudi – Mantua
Arte Fiera – Piacenza
Galleria delle Visioni – Piacenza
2012Galleria delle Visioni – Piacenza
Galleria La Pietra – Martina Franca (TA)
Arte Fiera – Genoa
2011Galleria de L’Europe “Peintures” – Paris
Arte Fiera – Padua
Arte Fiera - Parma
2010Galleria Libreria Einaudi
“Segni dal Cielo” – Mantua
2007Fondazione Un Paese Museo – Luzzara (RE)
Castello di Sartirana – Pavia
2006Casa d’Arte al teatro – Piacenza
Museo Villa Breda – Padua (Anthology)
Castello di Belgioioso – Pavia
Castello di Gorizia – Gorizia
Great Art Fair at Alexandra Palace – London
2005Palazzo Emiciclo (Convegno Meteolive)
– L’Aquila
Libreria Sovilla – Cortina (BL)
2004Fine Art Exhibition – Milan
Fine Art Exhibition – Daegu (South Korea)
2003Chiesa di Sant’Angelo – Piacenza
Innesti Contemporanei –Milan
2002Galleria Fogliato – Turin
Libreria Bocca – Milan
2001Galleria Braga – Piacenza
Libreria Sovilla – Cortina (BL)
MCArt2001 – Monte Carlo
2000Bugno Art Gallery – Venice
Society Redaktionfest – Vienna (A) with
Ernst Fuchs
Galleria Le Muse – Andria Bari
Arte Reggio 2000 – Reggio Emilia
1999Galleria La Panchetta – Bari
Galleria Biale e Ceruti – Sienna
Etruriaarte – Venturina Livorno
Galeria Quest’Arte – Mirano (VE)
Galeria Forni – Bologna
1998Galleria-Libreria Einaudi – Mantua
Galleria Braga – Piacenza
1997Associazione Culturale Arte Moderna – Ferrara
Etruriaarte – Venturina (LI)
Galerie Zur.Hofstatt – Basel
Group Shows:
2012LIV Venice Biennale – Sez. Region of Parma
Apocolpise, Palazza della Regione – Milan
2011Finis Valtellinae – Sondrio
2009Il Mito del Vero – Milan
2008Il Vuoto del e le Forme – Chiavenna (SO)
2007Rassegna internazionale città di Bozzolo –
Bozzolo (MN)
2005Quindici-quindici, Galleria Ricci Oddi –
Piacenza (Collective)
2002Piccolo Museo Hoffler – Madonna di
Campiglio (NT)
2001Palazzo Rasini – Cavenago di Brianza (MI)
Paintings
Sconosciuto, 2015
Oil on canvas
55 x 70 cm
C’eri Ci sarai, 2015
Oil on canvas
40 x 35 cm
Frammento, 2015
Oil on panel
35 x 40 cm
Gli enigmi del tempo, diptych, 2015
Oil on canvas
120 x 100 cm each
Verso sud, 2015
Oil on canvas
100 x 100 cm
Oltre la cortina, 2015
Oil on canvas
60 x 55 cm
Disvelato, 2015
Oil on canvas
45 x 60 cm
L’imminente, 2015
Oil on canvas
70 x 60 cm
Cercando la leggerezza, 2015
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm
Isante 01, 2015
Oil on panel
35 x 25 cm
Isante 02, 2015
Oil on panel
35 x 25 cm
Sogno d’estate, 2015
Oil on canvas
100 x 120 cm
Insonne presenza, 2015
Oil on canvas
70 x 90 cm
Auspicio di notte, 2015
Oil on canvas
40 x 30 cm
Auspicio della notte, 2015
Oil on canvas
40 x 30 cm
Lorizzonte apparente, 2015
Oil on canvas
40 x 60 cm
Intenzione, 2015
Oil on canvas
50 x 40 cm
É, sarà luce, 2015
Oil on canvas
50 x 40 cm
L’ostacolo dissolto, 2015
Oil on canvas
60 x 70 cm
This catalogue was produced to coincide with the exhibition of
Alberto Bertoldi’s Clouds,
a series of paintings at
Moatti Masters|Contemporary,
from the 24 September – 30 October 2015.
All works are for sale.
Moatti Masters|Contemporary would like to thank Marco Gambino for
making the show possible. We would also like to thank Harry Seymour and
Cecilia Giuseppetti.
© Copyright Moatti Masters|Contemporary
Published by Moatti Masters|Contemporary,
2015, all rights reserved.
Edited by Harry Seymour
No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form without permission from the copyright holder.
ISBN: 978-0-9933819-0-4
Moatti Masters|Contemporary
23 Mount Street, London, W1K 2RP
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7409 3591
[email protected] | www.moatti.co.uk
Alberto Bertoldi’s Clouds, a Series of Paintings
Moatti Masters|Contemporary