Afro

Afro Basaldella (Udine, 1912 – Zurich, 1976), known simply as Afro, is considered one of the leading protagonists of Italian painting of the second post-war period and a reference figure of European Informalism. Born into a family of artists – brother of the sculptors Dino and Mirko Basaldella – he trained in Venice and Florence, graduating in painting in 1931. From an early age, he frequented the circles of the Roman School, coming into contact with artists such as Corrado Cagli, Mario Mafai and Scipione; experiences that profoundly influenced his initial research. In the 1930s, he participated in the main Italian exhibitions, including the Quadriennale di Roma and the Venice Biennale, developing a language that evolved from figuration towards Neocubism. The decisive stay in the United States, begun in 1950 thanks to his collaboration with the Catherine Viviano Gallery in New York, represents a turning point in his career, favoring the encounter with American Abstract Expressionism and consolidating his international fame. In 1952, he joined the famous Group of Eight, promoted by the critic Lionello Venturi, and in the following years he received important awards, including the Prize for Painting at the Venice Biennale of 1956. He exhibited at Documenta in Kassel, created the large mural Il Giardino della Speranza for the UNESCO Palace in Paris in 1958, and his works entered the collections of the main international museums. He died in Zurich in 1976, leaving a fundamental legacy in the history of 20th-century art.