Overview

Rediscovering the work of the Italian artist Oliviero Leonardi, whose significant contribution to postwar Italian and European art has been overlooked In 2024, an extraordinary discovery was made. The entire life work of Italian postwar artist Oliviero Leonardi emerged after 40 years in hiding. Overwhelmed by such an artistic presence, Association Oliviero Leonardi was created to reestablish the forgotten legacy of the artist. He was a painter, an alchemist, an enamellist and a Maestro. This comprehensive publication serves as a compelling academic rediscovery of Oliviero Leonardi through the lenses of its most unique medium: vitreous enamel painting on steel plates. With detailed insights from authoritative contributors in the field and an expertly curated selection of works, the book offers a deep dive into the artist's innovative techniques, themes, and contributions to the evolution of postwar art in Italy and Europe. This unique publication is meant to become the scientific reference on the artist and offers scholars, curators, art enthusiasts and collectors a rare opportunity to revisit an important, yet overlooked, figure of the postwar Italian art scene. A pioneer in vitreous enamel painting on steel, Oliviero Leonardi (1921 – 2019) was a postwar Italian artist based in Rome and later on in France. His works were studied by important art historians and critics, including Giulio Carlo Argan and Gustav René Hocke, who wrote a monograph on the artist. Over the course of his career, Leonardi exhibited widely across Europe.

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Renato Miracco is a scholar, art critic, and curator. From 2019 to 2024, he served as Guest Curator at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC. He has curated exhibitions at prestigious museums and collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Phillips Collection, the National Gallery of Art. Andrea Cortellessa is a literary critic and historian of Italian literature. He is a professor at Roma Tre University. He was the scientific coordinator of Enciclopedia delle arti contemporanee directed by Achille Bonito Oliva. Stefano Chiodi is an art historian and critic. He has published numerous essays on art between the early twentieth century and the contemporary age. He has curated important exhibitions at MAXXI and MACRO. He is an art history professor at Roma Tre University. Luca Beatrice (1961-2025) was an art critic, curator, and journalist. He taught art history at the Accademia Albertina, the IED in Turin and the IULM in Milano. In 2009, he curated the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and in 2024 he was appointed as President of the Quadriennale in Rome. Katarina Đošan is an art curator at the National Museum of Serbia. Regine Suhas is the President of Association Oliviero Leonardi. Giulia Beatrice is a Ph.D. candidate in art history at the University of Zurich.

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