GIOVANNI LOMBARDINI

Born in 1950 in Mulazzano di Coriano (Rimini) and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino. In 1972, his piece Scarpe con erba (Shoes with Grass) was chosen as the image for Il Manifesto, published by the Academy, and he received the 2nd Prize from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs at the Grand Concours International Musée 2000 in Luxembourg.

His first solo exhibitions took place in Rimini (1980) and Trieste (1982). In the 1970s, his practice was closely aligned with Arte Povera, focusing on the material presence of objects. Early works incorporated grass, inscriptions, and soap stars and featured large pictorial surfaces rubbed with petals and natural fibres. His exploration has always centred on the interaction between material, perception, and transformation.

In the 1980s, Lombardini began incorporating more technological, reflective materials—glossy, non-absorbent surfaces—and adopted experimental techniques such as casting objects and people with painted aluminium foil, pouring metallic paints onto X-ray plates, and creating fusions with cast iron and soap.

His signature style is defined by highly polished, mirror-like surfaces where diluted, transparent colour captures and reflects light. His painting becomes an apparition—a ritual transformation of material into something alchemical. Rather than representational imagery, Lombardini’s work investigates the sensory and symbolic potentials of materials and light.

From the early 2000s, new series such as Scie (Streaks), Pietre Preziose (Precious Stones), Rime (Rhymes), Inventari (Inventories, 2007), Messaggi (Messages, 2015), Nubifragili (2017), and Buchi Neri (Black Holes, 2019) deepened this exploration.

In January 2024, Lombardini was awarded the ARTEAM CUP 2023 – Painting Category for his work Pietre Preziose. The jury praised it as "a testament to an in-depth investigation of painting and the value of colour, emerging from a profoundly personal journey... Colour and light act as tangible mediums... The painting assumes a physicality that places it in direct dialogue with reality and the essence of things."

In April 2024, a solo exhibition of his work will be presented at Galleria Zamagni Arte, Rimini.

Selected Exhibitions

1972

• Sala Morganti, Fano

• Premio Lublam, Palazzo del Te, Mantua

• Grand Concours International Musée 2000, Luxembourg

1973

• Operazione Loreto, Loreto (AN), curated by Antonio Toniato

• Galleria 2000, Bologna

• Galleria Nuovo Spazio Due, Venice

1974

• Galleria Pilota, Milan

1976

• Progettuale 76, Palazzo dei Congressi, San Marino

1980

• Nero pece grotta alcova pece nera, Palazzo dell’Arengo, Rimini, curated by Cerritelli, Guberti, Torri

1981

• Lo sguardo instabile, Municipal Museums, Rimini, curated by Claudio Spadoni

1982

• Naturafintamorta, Centro Culturale La Cappella Underground, Trieste, curated by Roberto Vidali

1986

• Paesaggio gonfio, Palazzo Comunale, Coriano (RN)

1987

• Nodi, Galleria Santa Croce, Cattolica

1988

• Galleria dell’Immagine, Palazzo Gambalunga, Rimini

• Galleria Il Granaio, Fusignano (RA), curated by Bruno Bandini

• Galleria UNA-ARTE, Fano

1989

• 327 Blu puro solubile nell’acqua, Galleria Rosini, Riccione

• Galleria di Palazzo Rosso, Bentivoglio (BO)

• Geode, Galleria Rosini, Riccione

1990

• Geòde, Galleria Rosini, Riccione

• Galleria Balena, Rimini, curated by Roberto Daolio

1991

• Galleria 420 WB, Ravenna

• Doppio Zero, Galleria Rosini, Riccione

1993

• Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Chiesetta S. Anna, San Marino, curated by Simona Lodi

• Art Colonie, Cologne (Galleria TXT)

1994

• Camere Bianche, Galleria Rosini, Riccione, curated by Gabriele Fasolino

• Ombre Lunghe, Alliance Française, Bologna, curated by M. Virginia Cardi

1995

• Ora Serrata Retinae IV, Gall Centro Arte Contemporanea Blu, curated by Antonella Micaletti

• Riconosco il luogo dove mi trovo, Cesena, curated by Claudio Spadoni

• Biennale d’Arte Romagnola, Palazzo del Ridotto, Cesena

1996

• Street Style, Fortezza da Basso, Florence

• Rami secchi o dei dardi vendicatori, Gambettola (FC)

• 1st Prize, Trevi Flash Art Museum, Palazzo Luccarini, Trevi (PG)

1997

• Biennale d’Arte Romagnola, Cesena

• Il suono di una mano sola, Cagli (PU)

• Topografica, Monteprandone (AP), curated by Antonella Micaletti

• Calce Plastica, Gambettola (FC), curated by Gianni Gori

1998

• TSO, Centro per le Arti Visive Pescheria, Pesaro

• 53/85 Ricerche Artistiche a Rimini nel secondo Novecento, Rimini, curated by Nicolini and Semprini

• L’Arte in Pentola, Frankfurt Fair, curated by Erica Calvi

• A Sull’Arte, Ex Almagià, Ravenna, curated by Gianni Gori

1999

• Illumine, Free Time-Divisione Arte, Cesena, curated by Edoardo Di Mauro

• L’Arte oltre il mestiere, Magazzini del Sale, Cervia, curated by Gianni Gori

• Gioventù? Da non bruciare, Galleria V.S.V., Turin, curated by Edoardo Di Mauro

2000

• Brine, Galleria Giada, Fano, curated by Giancarlo Papi

• Premio Suzzara 2000, Suzzara (MN)

2001

• Solubile e Apparente, Galleria dell’Immagine, Municipal Museums, Rimini

• Euforie, Galleria Caltex, Biella

• Extra Vergine, Trevi Flash Art Museum, Trevi (PG), curated by Pio Monti

Lombardini’s ongoing research reflects a lifelong commitment to exploring the interplay between material, surface, light, and perception—an ever-evolving journey that continues to shape the contemporary art landscape.