Geneva art gallery L'Appartement presents Claudio Massini at June Art Fair in Basel

For the June Art Fair 2025, L’Appartement is pleased to present a solo exhibition of rare paintings made between 2004 and 2010 by the Italian artist Claudio Massini. These historical works showcase his hallmark technique across various media: intimate panel pieces rendered in mixed pigments on marine plywood are shown alongside expansive compositions on double-boiled, triple-washed linen, all painted with his signature palette of ground mineral, vegetable, and organic pigments. Recurring motifs—stars, chalices, garlands, and other symbolic forms—appear throughout the works, often elaborated and repeated in obsessive but never-identical series. Together, they offer a compelling view of Massini’s immersive, meditative visual language.

Born in Trieste in 1955, Massini relocated to Naples in the mid-1970s to pursue studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. He now lives and works in Treviso, Italy. His early exposure to both classical traditions and modernist movements laid the groundwork for his innovative approach to painting and mixed media. His art is characterised by rhythmic patterning, intricate surfaces, and a meticulous layering of pigments and materials, resulting in paintings that verge on the sculptural—rich in both visual and tactile depth.

Massini’s style defies easy classification. Describing his approach as “meta-historical,” he conjures a visual realm that fuses timeless iconography with contemporary material processes. Ethereal church spires, blossoms, maritime vessels, vials, amphorae, and antique goblets appear against matte, lacquered backdrops, transforming everyday or folkloric subjects into enchanted forms. His compositions pulse with energy, drawing the viewer into a dialogue between simplicity and complexity, repetition and variation, chaos and order.
Central to Massini’s artistic philosophy is his meditative process. He engraves fine, repetitive lines and curves into each surface with near-trance-like focus, reflecting on universal symbols that transcend time and space. This deep engagement with the physicality of the medium produces works that feel experiential as much as visual—compositions that echo natural cycles and invite quiet contemplation.

Massini’s work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions, including Cassina Projects, Milan (November 2025); Forma Gallery, Paris (2023); Kunsthalle Budapest, Hungary (2005); MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Italy (2003); and the Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria (2000), among others.

This presentation at the June Art Fair offers a rare opportunity to encounter Massini’s early 21st-century works in a focused context—revealing the continuity of his vision and reaffirming his position as a singular voice in contemporary Italian painting.

(press release)