12 October, 6.30pm
Arturo Di Stefano. Italian Paintings
Private View
The exhibition will be open until 13 November, Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm, 2 to 5pm
A celebration of the enduring bond between the British painter Arturo Di Stefano and Italy, inspired by memories, places and encounters that have shaped his artistic vision.
Book your place for the opening HERE
Arturo Di Stefano was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, in 1955. His Italian parents came to the United Kingdom to work and settled. Arturo studied at Liverpool Polytechnic, Goldsmiths’ College and the Royal College of Art in London. Some years after leaving college he applied for an Italian Government scholarship and was able to live and work in Turin for a year. He has said that his period in Turin made him the painter he is today.
Arturo’s connections with Italy are intellectual. His choice of Turin had as much to do with the city’s writers – he has made portraits of Cesare Pavese and Primo Levi – as with the city’s arcades and monuments and art, though the ‘Turin Shroud’ has been a constant inspiration, a foundational portrait image, the trace of a real person, the image of Christ Himself.
Cultural figures have been a subject of his paintings more generally, such as the houses in London where the poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine and the painter Vincent van Gogh lived for brief periods. As well as places, he makes portraits of friends and fellow artists such as the philosopher Yehuda Safran, the graphic design historian Richard Hollis and the centenarian painter Tony Eyton.
The choice of Arturo’s Italian subjects may seem unfathomable to the viewer but clearly these images have a poetry and a history which is important to him. The painting of Villa San Giovanni (2003) is an image of the port in which Arturo’s father would have embarked upon his long post war journey to a life in the north of England. Some subjects seem to be chosen for the challenge they present to the painter, such as the white plastic chairs in Open air cinema, Orvieto (2016-17).
This exhibition is his way of thanking Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in London for the decisive help he received at the beginning of his career.
Arturo Di Stefano is represented by Art Space, Islington.
Important: Welcome to our new home
We are delighted to welcome you to the new home of the Italian Cultural Institute London.
To help ensure a smooth and efficient entry, please note the following:
- Each ticket must be issued in the full name of the person attending (first name, any middle names and surname), exactly as shown on their official identity document.
- A valid government-issued photo ID is required for entry.
- Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the event begins.
- We kindly ask you to read all the regulations in force at the Institute’s new premises HERE.
Checking these details before you arrive will help us welcome everyone efficiently and ensure a smooth experience without delays.
For organisational and safety reasons, admission may not be permitted.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home.