The first solo exhibition
On 23 April 1960, at the Galleria Elmo in Rome, Piero Guccione, then aged 25, held his first solo exhibition.
His painting, clearly still developing, showed an interest in the expressionism of Levine and, above all, Soutine.
The moon in Piazza del Popolo (1959) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
Going to Rome basically meant that I wanted to be a painter. I liked painting and I wanted to be a painter.
Roman Landscape (1957) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
In Rome at that time, the painters I was most interested in were living,
Butcher Shop (1960) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
mainly those of the so-called realist wing and others who were less oriented, such as Mafai and Pirandello. — Piero Guccione
From Bacon to Swallows
In 1962, Piero Guccione presented his second solo exhibition at the Galleria La Nuova Pesa in Rome.
The cover of the catalogue featured a portrait of Bacon, a tribute to the Irish artist for having “legitimised” his freedom to represent the everyday reality of the visible.
Homage to Bacon (1962) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
Bacon was a painter whom I greatly admired in the 1960s.
Man in the Garden (1962) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
He helped me a great deal, in a certain sense — not only formally
Exterior Interior (1962) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
but also through his authority. He showed that one could continue to paint life through painting,
Swallows (1962) by Piero GuccionePiero Guccione Archive
and thus, in an authoritative way, Bacon offered legitimacy to my modest path. — Piero Guccione
Photo Credits: Archivio Piero Guccione
© 2025 by SIAE for the artworks of Piero Guccione
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