GIANLUIGI MATTIA

Gianluigi Mattia was born in Venaria Reale (Torino) where he graduated in Scenography at the Accademia Albertina.

In 1961, when he was still very young, he held his first solo exhibition at the Circolo degli artisti in Torino.
In 1963, he moved to Roma, where he worked as assistant to set designer Ezio Frigerio.
In 1965, he was invited to the Paris Biennale. From 1965 to 1970 he established a relationship with the art gallery La Nuova Pesa, in Roma. Two solo exhibitions were held in 1966 and in 1970.
In 1967 he began his teaching career.
From 1971 to 1976 he exhibited regularly at the art gallery Forni in Bologna. It was a period of very intensive activity.
In 1971 he took part in the show Oggettività e impegno at the Galleria Giulia in Rome, a touring exhibition that travelled to Torino, Milano, Bologna, Berlin and Munich.
Also in 1971, he exhibited with curator Franco Solmi at:
- the 4th Bozen Biennale where he was invited to participate in the "Images" section.
- L'arte dell'immagine, at the Galleria Michaud in Firenze.
- Uomini del presente at the Galleria Forni, in Bologna.

In 1973, he created his first great installation in a public space in Gualdo Tadino, as part of the exhibition"Immaginazione e Potere".
That same year he held his first solo exhibition at the Galleria Forni in Bologna.
In 1974, his solo exhibition in Roma, at the Galleria Giulia, established him as a leading artist of his generation.
Also in 1974, he exhibited at the "Italienische Realisten 1945-1974" in Berlin and at the XXVIII Triennale di Milano.
In 1975 he had two solo exhibitions at the Galleria Davico, in Turin and the Galleria Eidos in Milano.
In 1976, he ceased his partnership with the Galleria Forni and started running his own art business again, shifting the focus of his artistic investigation on the materiality of the plastic language.
In 1978 he participated in the show Arte e Ricerca, at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Roma.
After a period of inactivity for health reasons, he resumed painting with an exhibition at the Galleria Ariete Arte Contemporanea in Roma.
He has also worked extensively as a painter-illustrator creating posters and collaborating with many publishing groups and institutions.
The 1988 solo exhibition at the Galleria Rondanini in Rome, summarized the artistic production of those years and drew a clear dividing line between his previous artworks and his following work which would be focused on experimentation and linguistic contamination.
In 1990, editor Tilligraf Editrice published the monograph "Gianluigi Mattia 1965 – 1990". Also in 1990, he resumed his partnership with the Galleria Forni in Bologna for the last time, with a solo exhibition.

He has taken part in numerous historic survey exhibitions with artworks dating from the 1960s and 1970:
"L'arte a Roma" at Ex Mattatoio (1997), Roma, "Contiguità dell'immagine" at the Mole Vanvitelliana, in Ancona (1998) "Immagine d'Impegno Impegno d'Immagine" at Ex Mattatoio (2000), Roma and, more recently, "Le rose del Campigna", in Santa Sofia, Forlì (2008).
Monothematic solo exhibitions:
"Amici miei carissimi" at the Galleria Il Museo del Louvre, in Roma, in 1997.
"Gattoamami", at the Galleria Stella in Roma, in 2005.
In 2006, Ianua Editrice published a monograph on Gianluigi Mattia for the book series "Colloqui d'Arte". The book contains an interview to the artist conducted by the art historian Roberto Maria Siena, together with a rich iconographic apparatus related to the last ten years of Mattia's artistic career.
In 2006, a solo exhibition was held on the occasion of the grand opening of the Fonderia delle Arti gallery location in Roma.
In 2007, a solo exhibition entitled "Le Maddalene" was held at Galleria Papi in Roma.
A solo exhibition of his latest work was recently held at the Fondazione Museo Crocetti in Roma (2008-2009), under curator Gabriele Simongini.
In January 2010, he presented his video work "Eros-Burp" at the Sinergy Art Studio, in Roma.
He published two ironic, off-the-wall, short stories "Allegrettoumanocanino" in 2009 and "Brian l'azzurro" in 2010.
2014 solo exhibition Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte di Roma (Sala della Crociera).
2015 5 Grandi Disegni su carta intelata - Biosphere Roma
2016 exhibition: "Trastevere - Intrecci d'arte e di vita" - Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Roma

Gianluigi Mattia lives and works in Roma.