biography
Enzo Cucchi, born 1950 in Morro d’Alba, Italy, is today considered one of the most distinguished Italian painters. The autodidact's first solo exhibition took place in Milan in 1977. In 1979 he took part in the XV Biennale in Sao Paulo. In 1982 and 1987 he participated in the documenta in Kassel. He quickly became one of the key artists of the Transvanguardia movement like Francesco Clemente and Sandro Chia.
In his paintings Cucchi tries to conjure up past mythical worlds, whose recurring symbols in the form of the Italian Arte Cifra cannot be completely decoded. However, Cucchi does not strive for an abstract visual sense, but refers to the mythical elementary power of the pictures. He often uses oversized, irregular picture formats in which he integrates found objects made of iron, wood or ceramics. His painting style is expressive with strong light-dark and colour contrasts. In addition to his paintings and installations, he also creates small-format simple drawings, which often accompany his prose texts. From 1982 onwards, he also creates sculptural works, often in collaboration with other artists.
In his art, Cucchi draws on mannerist Italian, but also on the expressionist tendencies of German painting. An important stimulus for him was Joseph Beuys. Enzo Cucchile lives in Ancona and Rome.
His works were shown at the Villa Medici (Rome), Deichtorhallen (Hamburg), Wiener Secession (Vienna), The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), The Centre Pompidou (Paris) and The Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) among others.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
Enzo Cucchi, Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Sieclo, Rome
2016
Madama Cucchi. Una Installazione di Enzo Cucchi per la Veranda juvarriana, Palazzo Madama, Turin
2012
Enzo Cucchi, MARCA – Museo delle Arti, Catanzaro
Surveiller et prévoir, CAPC – Musée d’art contemporain, Bordeaux
2011
Enzo Cucchi, Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza
2010
Enzo Cucchi. Costume Interiore, MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rome
2009
Enzo Cucchi, Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo
Enzo Cucchi. Costume Interiore, Museo di Capodimonte, Naples
Enzo Cucchi. La Stele, Alexander Museum Palace Hotel, Pesaro
Mosaico di Enzo Cucchi, Istituto Tecnico per Attività Sociali «Matteo Ricci», Macerata
2008
Enzo Cucchi. Disegni, Palazzo Guinigi – Museo a tempo, Lucca
Enzo Cucchi – le donne sono entrate nell’arte andiamo dall’altra parte, Fondazione Volume!, Rome
2007
Enzo Cucchi, Incontri Internazionali d’Arte, Palazzo Taverna, Rome
Enzo Cucchi, Centro per l’arte contemporanea II Conventino, Monteciccardo
Enzo Cucchi, Museo Correr, Venice
Enzo Cucchi, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
2006
Enzo Cucchi. Disegno, Musée d’Art Moderne de Saint-Etienne Métropole, Saint-Etienne
Enzo Cucchi. Entra, Académie de France à Rome, Villa Medici, Rome
2005
Enzo Cucchi. Be..be.be..., Quarter. Centro Produzione Arte, Florence
Enzo Cucchi. Doppia personale, Istituto italiano di Cultura, Prague
2004
Enzo Cucchi. T s’immattito, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Enzo Cucchi, Palazzo Crepadona, Belluno
2003
Enzo Cucchi. New Works, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
2002
Enzo Cucchi, Castello Colonna, Genazzano
Enzo Cucchi, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
2001
Enzo Cucchi, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London
Enzo Cucchi. Quadro al Buio sul mare adriatico, Centro per le Arti visive, Pesaro
Enzo Cucchi, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
Enzo Cucchi. Opere grafiche, Collegiata San Francesco, Staffolo
2000
Enzo Cucchi, Mosaico nella stazione Termini, Rome
Enzo Cucchi. Ceramics, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Enzo Cucchi, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
Enzo Cucchi. Vetrina del libro d’artista, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome
1999
Enzo Cucchi. Altrove Si Rinasce, Borromini Arte Contemporanea, Ozzano Monferrato
Enzo Cucchi. Berge Menschen Licht, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Hamburg
Mosaico di Tel Aviv, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
1998
Enzo Cucchi. Soggetti Impossibili, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome
Enzo Cucchi. Disegno Doppio Vita, Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Rome
Enzo Cucchi. Les Sujets Impossibles, Château de Chenonceau
1997
Enzo Cucchi. Piu vicino alla Luce. Näher zum Licht. Closer to the Light, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen
Simm’ nervusi, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
Enzo Cucchi, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires
1996
Enzo Cucchi, Sezon Museum of Art, Tokyo
Enzo Cucchi, Fukuyama Museum of Art, Fukuyama
Enzo Cucchi, Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Sakura
Picass..., Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Die, Santi e Viandanti (con Martial Raysse), Museo Civico Medievale, Bologna
Simm’ nervusi, Museo di Capodimonte, Naples
1995
Cucchi, Sara Hildènin Taidemuseo, Tampere
Enzo Cucchi, Museo di Palazzo Reale Arengario, Milan
Enzo Cucchi, Pierides Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens
Enzo Cucchi, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Mario Botta/Enzo Cucchi. Die Kapelle auf dem Monte Tamaro, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich
1994
Cucchi, Ernst Museum, Budapest
Mario Botta Enzo Cucchi. La Capella del Monte Tamaro, Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Lugano
Ercole Botanico, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Enzo Cucchi, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Piran
1993
Enzo Cucchi, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin
Via Tasso Enzo Cucchi, Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma, Rome
Enzo Cucchi. Idoli, Galerie Templon, Paris
1992
Enzo Cucchi. Roma, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg
1991
Enzo Cucchi. Disegno, Carré d’Art, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Nimes
1990
Enzo Cucchi. Roma, Palazzina die Giardini Pubblici, Modena
Enzo Cucchi, Fundacio Joan Miro, Barcelona
Mostra di disegni di Enzo Cucchi, Sala Esposizioni dell’Infiorata 1990, Palazzo Comunale di Genzano, Rome
1989
Enzo Cucchi. 42 Drawings 1978-1988, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Toronto
Enzo Cucchi, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato
1988
La Disegna. Zeichnungen 1975-1988, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich
Enzo Cucchi, Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek
Enzo Cucchi, Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf
Enzo Cucchi. Raumgestaltung, Secession Wien, Vienna
Enzo Cucchi. Scultura 19821988, Musée Horta, Brussels
Uomini, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
1987
Enzo Cucchi, Musée de la Ville de Nice, Nice
Enzo Cucchi. Guida al Disegno, Kunsthalle, Bielefeld
Enzo Cucchi, Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst, Munich
Enzo Cucchi, Beyeler Galerie, Basel
1986
Enzo Cucchi, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Enzo Cucchi, Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
1985
Enzo Cucchi. Il deserto della scultura, Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek
Enzo Cucchi. Arthur Rimbaud au Harar, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
Zeichnungen leben in der Angst vor der Erde, Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf
Enzo Cucchi, Incontri Internazionali d’Arte, Rome
Enzo Cucchi, Fundacion Caja de Pensiones, Madrid
CAPC Musée d’Art contemporain, Entrepôt Lainé, Bordeaux
1984
Enzo Cucchi: Giulio Cesare Roma, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich
Enzo Cucchi. Currents 1984, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
1983
Enzo Cucchi: Giulio Cesare Roma, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
La città delle mostre, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Bielefeld
1982
Enzo Cucchi. Zeichnungen, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich
Enzo Cucchi. Tekeningen, Groninger Museum, Groningen
Enzo Cucchi. Un’immagine oscura, Museum Folkwang, Essen
1981
Enzo Cucchi. Neue Bilder, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich
1980
Duetto (con Mario Passi), A.A.M. Architettura Arte Moderna, Rome
1977
Ritratto di casa, Incontri internazionali d’arte, Palazzo Taverna, Rome