LUCIANO CASTELLI

born 1951 in Lucern, Switzerland

Luciano Castelli became well known between 1979 and 1983 as a

representative member of the Berlin expressive, gestic school of

painting, known as the New Wilds. But he had already established

an earlier artistic career in Lucern, around Franz Gertsch, and

in 1972 he had sculptures in the first "documenta" exhibition

there. In addition, his friendship with the Parisian

photographer Pierre Mollinier had led to an early encounter with

photography. While sculptures, paintings and large-format

drawings soon found their way into international exhibitions -

at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hirshorn Museum in

Washington and the Mus?e de Beaux Arts, Lausanne, for example .

The Mus?e de la Photographie Europ?ene in Paris opened with his

work. In the tradition of self-portrait he places his person in

the scene, in a photograph, on the canvas or on paper,

transformed, made-up or masked, thus inventing himself and

others as objects of desire.

In Germany his works always resemble a gift from France; now the

blue, red and gold of a Sonia Delaunay are rendered at home here

by Castelli. On occasions expressive Berlin gestures and colours

appear, but the drawings in particular are distinguished by an

elegance familiar from Matisse but not apparent since then. It

is thus appropriate that Castelli has also been living and

working in Paris for some years - at the Place Pigalle, of

course. His work has become more complex since then - the

influence of French esprits is not to be denied. The new works

are invitations to explore; much is familiar yet encoded at the

same time, the colourful world of a de Stael or a Hartung is

modified by thoughtful mid-tones. Everything is dominated by an

artistic sovereignty and pictorial quality such as can only

appear in Paris - and which can be embodied with particular

grace by a citizen of the world whose origins are in

Switzerland.