Ritratto di Achille Perilli nel suo studio, esponente dell'Astrattismo Geometrico e Gruppo Forma 1.

Achille Perilli

(1927, Rome – 2024)

Biography

Achille Perilli (Rome, 1927 – 2024) was one of the leading figures of postwar Italian abstraction and a central figure in the development of abstract painting in Europe. His work is based on the exploration of form, geometry, and space as dynamic and open systems.

From his early years, he engaged with the artistic and intellectual circles of Rome, developing a strong interest in abstraction and theoretical reflection on art. In 1947, he was among the founders of the Forma 1 group, contributing to the affirmation of a language based on formal rigor and the autonomy of form.

During the 1950s and 1960s, he developed a painterly practice characterized by articulated geometric structures, broken lines, and intense chromatic fields. In these works, rational structure intertwines with an imaginative dimension, giving rise to what has been defined as a “fantastic geometry.”

Through a coherent and recognizable practice, Perilli established a visual language based on rhythm, tension, and continuous transformation of form. His work represents one of the most original contributions to the evolution of European abstraction in the second half of the twentieth century.

Museums and Collections

The works of Achille Perilli are held in important international museums and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome, the MAXXI – Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo in Rome, the Museo del Novecento in Milan, the Mart – Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto and the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Lissone.

His works are also included in numerous public and private collections in Italy and abroad.

The selection presented by Antonio Damiani Gallery offers a coherent insight into Achille Perilli’s practice, highlighting the role of geometry as an open and dynamic structure. The works demonstrate a painterly approach in which formal rigor and imagination intertwine within a complex and recognizable visual language.

Works

Achille Perilli | Market, Positioning and Value

Achille Perilli holds a significant position in post-war Italian art as a leading figure of geometric abstraction and a founding member of the Forma 1 group. His artistic research developed from the late 1940s within a theoretical reflection on the autonomy of form and the relationship between geometric structure and imagination. Over the decades, Perilli developed a distinctive pictorial language, often described as “fantastic geometry,” characterized by irregular modules, broken lines and intense chromatic fields that construct dynamic and complex compositions.

Within the art market, works created between the late 1950s and the 1970s are particularly significant, as this period marks the full maturity of the artist’s formal research. Paintings from these years present articulated compositional structures and a strong rhythmic tension between sign and color, elements that represent some of the most recognizable aspects of Perilli’s work.

The correct chronological placement of the artworks and their relation to the different phases of the artist’s production are key factors in their evaluation. Particular attention is often given to provenance, exhibition history and the presence of the work in publications or catalogues.

The market value of Achille Perilli’s works varies according to the period of execution, compositional quality and provenance. Works from the 1960s and 1970s generally represent the most significant segment of the market, while works from other periods occupy different valuation ranges depending on their place within the artist’s research.

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