Alberto Gallingani
(1938, Florence, Italy)
Biography
Alberto Gallingani (Florence, 1938) is a significant figure in contemporary Italian abstraction, whose research develops between geometry, visual language, and reflection on social reality.
Trained within the context of Florentine Classical Abstraction, he came into contact with artists such as Vinicio Berti and Gualtiero Nativi, developing a strong theoretical and formal foundation. After his early pictorial experiences, in the early 1960s he moved towards abstraction, initiating an independent path focused on the relationship between geometric structure and meaning.
Throughout his career, Gallingani has developed several cycles of work, including Pittura di Nuova Realtà, the “Letters from Berlin,” and later experiments integrating painting, collage, photography, and textual interventions. From the 1990s onward, his practice expanded to include performance, Mail Art, and video production.
His more recent work, particularly the AGN cycle, reflects on the relationship between abstract sign and contemporary reality, incorporating visual elements and references to media and social contexts.
Through a coherent and articulated practice, Gallingani constructs a language that combines geometric rigor with critical tension, positioning himself within the tradition of postwar Italian abstraction and its contemporary developments.
Museums and Collections
The works of Alberto Gallingani are held in public and private collections in Italy and abroad. Among the institutions that preserve his works is the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Nardò (MACN).
During his career the artist has also participated in important international exhibitions, including the 50th Venice Biennale (2003), within the Extra 50 – Brain Apartment Project, and the XVI Bienal de São Paulo (1981) dedicated to Mail Art.
Today his works are included in several contemporary art collections and continue to be presented in exhibitions and curatorial projects dedicated to the development of Italian abstract art of the late twentieth century.
The selection presented by Antonio Damiani Gallery offers a coherent insight into Alberto Gallingani’s practice, highlighting the dialogue between geometric abstraction and contemporary reflection. The works demonstrate an approach in which structure, sign, and content articulate a rigorous and conscious visual language.
Alberto Gallingani | Artistic Research and Context
Alberto Gallingani represents a significant figure within contemporary Italian abstraction, particularly in the context of Florentine Classical Abstraction that developed in the post-war period. His research is rooted in a reflection on the relationship between geometric structure, visual language and the ethical dimension of artistic practice.
Throughout his career Gallingani has developed a visual language that combines the rigor of geometric abstraction with a progressive openness to forms of conceptual and visual experimentation. His practice unfolds through several cycles of work in which painting, collage, photography and textual elements are integrated within a coherent exploration of the role of images in contemporary culture.
Among the most significant phases of his production are the works connected to the geometric abstraction of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the later cycles in which the artist expands his language by introducing elements of critical reflection on social reality.
Gallingani’s work is distinguished by the continuity of his formal research and by a strong attention to the ethical dimension of artistic language, contributing to the dialogue between the tradition of Italian abstract art and contemporary forms of visual experimentation.