Francesco Clemente

Francesco Clemente (b. 1952) is an Italian artist whose work spans painting, drawing and installation, distinguished by its symbolic language, cross-cultural references and persistent inquiry into identity and transformation. Born in Naples on March 23, 1952, Clemente initially studied architecture at the University of Rome (La Sapienza) but soon shifted his focus to the visual arts. During his time in Rome, he became associated with figures such as Cy Twombly and Alighiero Boetti, who significantly influenced his early artistic development. His early work demonstrated a fascination with the body, myth and the subconscious — themes that would remain central throughout his career.

In the 1970s, Clemente began travelling extensively in India, a turning point that deeply impacted his artistic practice. Immersed in the country's spiritual traditions, popular imagery and artisanal techniques, he developed a hybrid visual vocabulary that bridged Eastern and Western forms. His collaborative project Francesco Clemente Pinxit (1980–81), executed with Indian miniature painters, exemplifies this intercultural engagement and remains a defining moment in his oeuvre.

Clemente was a leading figure in the Transavanguardia movement, Italy’s answer to Neo-Expressionism, advocating a return to figuration and emotive content. In the early 1980s, he relocated to New York, where he became an active participant in the downtown art scene. He collaborated with artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, notably in a series of joint works created between 1983 and 1985.

Characterised by sensuous lines, a dreamlike intensity and shifting depictions of the self, Clemente’s works engage with impermanence, desire and transcendence. Literature, poetry and mysticism often underpin his compositions, which feature recurring motifs such as fragmented bodies, ancient symbols and cosmic cycles.

Clemente’s work has been the subject of major international exhibitions, including retrospectives at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (1999), the Royal Academy of Arts in London (1990) and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (2011). He continues to divide his time between New York, India, and Italy.