Mario Francesconi Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Mario Francesconi was born in Viareggio in 1934 and, starting from his first solo exhibition in 1959, began an artistic journey that took him through many phases, often characterized by his passion for poor and recycled materials. His artistic activity often moved between the fields of painting, sculpture, collage and installation and approached the sectors of poetry and literature, thanks also to his relationships with many important figures of the Italian intellectual world of the second half of last century, including Emilio Villa, Cesare Garboli, Leonardo Sciascia, Mario Luzi, Cesare Zavattini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Alfonso Gatto, Sandro Penna and Venturino Venturi.

After his first experiences in figurative painting, in the 1960s he moved to Rome, where he frequented the galleries La Salita, La Tartaruga and San Luca, also exhibiting thanks to the presentation of Emilio Villa. Read the full biography

Mario Francesconi Biography

Mario Francesconi was born in Viareggio in 1934 and, starting from his first solo exhibition in 1959, began an artistic journey that took him through many phases, often characterized by his passion for poor and recycled materials. His artistic activity often moved between the fields of painting, sculpture, collage and installation and approached the sectors of poetry and literature, thanks also to his relationships with many important figures of the Italian intellectual world of the second half of last century, including Emilio Villa, Cesare Garboli, Leonardo Sciascia, Mario Luzi, Cesare Zavattini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Alfonso Gatto, Sandro Penna and Venturino Venturi.

After his first experiences in figurative painting, in the 1960s he moved to Rome, where he frequented the galleries La Salita, La Tartaruga and San Luca, also exhibiting thanks to the presentation of Emilio Villa. In 1965 he returned to Tuscany and frequented the literary environment of the Viareggio Prize, which allowed him to have important meetings, including Pablo Neruda, Roberto Longhi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dino Buzzati, Carlo Bo and Mino Maccari. He also collaborated with Mino Maccari on the creation of the sets for Dmitrij Dmitrievič Shostakovič's Naso at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1966, directed by Eduardo De Filippo.

In the 1970s, Mario Francesconi traveled frequently to Paris, London, Berlin, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, meeting artists of the caliber of Wilfred Lam, Hans Hartung and Henry Moore. In the meantime, having moved to Florence, he opened his studio in via Maggio, which still today represents an important location for his artistic activity. During this period, he painted a significant series of works dedicated to his dog Tobia, who also inspired a story by Manlio Cancogni published by Pananti. In 1998, Mario worked on a cycle of three triptychs dedicated to the themes of Mystery, Life and Death, which was placed in the ante-refectory of the Vallombrosa Abbey.

After having studied the poetry and theater works of Samuel Beckett for a long time, starting from 2000 Mario Francesconi created hundreds of works dedicated to him, including many entirely autographed artist's books, paintings, collages and various materials.