Carla Accardi

(Trapani, Italy 1924- Rome, Italy 2014)

After her studies at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Florence, she moves to Rome in 1946.

Together with her future husband, Antonio Sanfilippo, they found Forma 1 in 1947, with also Turcato, Attardi, Perilli, Dorazio and Guerrini. The Group considers the geometric lines as pure form toward abstraction and formalism, rejecting any link of continuity with the Italian painting of the last twenty years.

After the group Forma 1 breaks-up in 1951, Accardi continues her abstract, but concrete, research until 1952 and from 1954 she starts painting in black and white – the Negativi.

In 1961, she reintroduces colours in her compositions, obtaining also optical effects. Accardi joins the Continuità Group, and prepares solo exhibitions in New York and London.

In the 1970s, she works with glazes on terracotta tiles and paints repeated geometric patterns on sicofoil, transparent plastic instead of canvas. Using large sheets, she completes a series of works that investigate the relationship with the environment: Tenda and Tripla tenda for Galleria Editalia of Rome and for Venice Biennale 1976, Ambiente/Arte Section.

She participates at Venice Biennale in 1948, 1964, 1976, 1978, 1993 and in 1988 she is given a personal room. In the 1980s, Accardi returns to two-dimensional with the sequences of the Parentesi and Capricci. She exhibits in solo and group exhibitions abroad.

In 1996, Accardi is named Accademico di Brera in Milan and in 1997 she receives the Cavaliere di Gran Croce.