Nicola De Maria

Born in 1954 in Foglianise, Italy. Lives and works in Turin.
In 1970s, De Maria moves to Turin where, after obtaining a degree in Medicine, he devotes himself entirely to his passion – art – and he meets two people who change his life: Mario and Marisa Merz, who introduce him to the art scene of Turin. The early works are slides depicting rooms and closed doors, as symbols of psychological states. Using the fresco technique practiced by the old masters, in 1977 he makes his first mural in Milan, followed by the one for Paris Biennale of the same year. Despite the strong abstract matrix of his work, he is invited to be part of the Trans movement systematised by the critic Achille Bonito Oliva, which includes among its members Francesco Clemente, Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi and Mimmo Paladino. From the 1980s and the 1990s, his paintings are enhanced by bright colours with a greater thickness. The colour, bright and lively, is the main protagonist of his painting: from drawings to murals, Nicola De Maria gives birth to a colourful and fantastic world, populated by geometry and simple signs.