Achille Perilli

Achille Perilli (Rome, 1927 – 2024) was one of the most important figures of Italian abstract art in the post-war period and a central figure in the development of abstract painting in Italy. Co-founder of the Forma 1 group in 1947, Perilli developed a pictorial research based on the exploration of the possibilities of form, geometry and space.

His works are distinguished by dynamic structures, broken lines and intense chromatic fields that generate complex compositions in constant transformation. This visual language, often described as “fantastic geometry,” represents one of the most original contributions to the history of European abstraction.



Achille Perilli - Galleria Antonio Damiani

Biography of Achille Perilli

Achille Perilli was born in Rome in 1927 and was one of the leading figures of Italian abstract art in the post-war period. From an early stage he came into contact with the most active intellectual and artistic circles in Rome, developing a strong interest in abstract painting and in the relationship between art and theoretical reflection.

In 1947 he was among the founders of the Forma 1 group, established in Rome with the aim of promoting an artistic language based on abstraction and formal rigor. Within this context Perilli began an independent research that led him to develop a personal interpretation of geometry, understood not as a rigid structure but as an open system of visual relationships.

During the 1950s and 1960s his painting evolved toward increasingly complex compositions built through irregular geometric modules, broken lines and intense chromatic fields. In these works the rational dimension of structure intertwines with a strong imaginative component, giving rise to what the artist himself described as a “fantastic geometry.”

Throughout his long career Achille Perilli participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Italy and abroad, contributing to the development of Italian abstract art in the second half of the twentieth century. Alongside painting he also developed a significant body of graphic and printmaking work, experimenting with different techniques while maintaining strong coherence in his artistic research.

Perilli’s work is distinguished by the ability to combine geometric discipline, visual rhythm and creative freedom, resulting in a recognizable pictorial language that represents one of the most original contributions to the evolution of European abstraction.

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 Antonio Damiani Gallery is pleased to present the work of Achille Perilli, a master of geometric abstraction and a central figure in twentieth-century Italian abstract art. Through a visual language composed of signs, lines and intense chromatic fields, Perilli shows how art can become a bridge between form and concept, rigor and freedom, memory and innovation.

His work invites reflection on the role of art as a living creative force, capable of engaging the viewer and leaving a lasting mark on the language of contemporary abstraction.

Works by Achille Perilli

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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