"Summer forest"

ERCOLE PIGNATELLI

Ercole Pignatelli was born in Lecce in 1935. His artistic career began when as a boy he decided to move to Milan. He frequented the Brera quarters, where he came into contact with prominent figures such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Ugo Mulas, Milena Milani, writer Salvatore Quasimodo and art critic Giorgio Kaisserlian. With the San Fedele Youth Prize presented by Carlo Carrà in 1954, the value of his work within European figurative culture is recognized. These years saw his meeting with gallery owner Carlo Cardazzo, owner of the Naviglio Gallery in Milan and the Cavallino in Venice, cities where his first solo exhibitions took place. Equally important is the relationship he establishes with Peppino Palazzoli, collector and later director of Galleria Blu, who becomes one of his main collectors and patrons. The 1960s/'70s are those of the definitive consecration, also at the international level. The numerous exhibitions were followed by participation in the Venice Biennale (in 1978 and 2011). Today, Ercole Pignatelli is recognized as one of the most important living masters worldwide. His works are present in the collections of many of the most prestigious museums, foundations, public spaces dedicated to art in the World. Just to name a few: in the U.S., the Museums of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco (Italian Cultural Institute), New York (Egon Furstenberg Museum, Luella Henkel Foundation), Philadelphia (USA Catholic University), Palm Beach (Irving Galleries Collection). In South America, Campos Eliseos and Carlo Rodriguez (Mexico), Centro Cultural Recoleta Buenos Aires (Argentina). In Asia, the Kamakura and Fukuyama Museums, the Sezon and Tnn Museums in Tokyo, the Petersburg Museum in Otaru (Japan); the Gallery of Modern Art in Taipei (Taiwan). In Italy, the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the Castle of Charles V and the Council Chamber in Lecce, the Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Bergamo “Accademia Carrara,” the Pinacoteca Civica in Savona, and the Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Prato. In the rest of Europe, the Municipal Museum of Saint Paul de Vence (France), the Caja Pensiones in Madrid (Spain), the State Academy of Salzburg (Austria), the Fondacao das Casas de Fronteira in Lisbon (Portugal), the Galerie Fahlbusch Collection in Manheim (Germany). He has three sons, Luca, an accomplished painter; Francesco, a filmmaker; and Daniele, a director and filmmaker. Master Ercole Pignatelli lives and works in Milan, Italy.