Nunzio Di Stefano was born in Cagnano Amiterno, Abruzzo, in 1954. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome under the tutelage of Toti Scialoja. In 1973 he set up a studio at the former Pastificio Cerere in the district of San Lorenzo in Rome, where Bruno Ceccobelli, Gianni Dessì, Giuseppe Gallo, Piero Pizzi Cannella and Marco Tirelli would also work.
Nunzio has sought to position his artistic practice by exploring the porous relationship between painting and sculpture. Spaces are inverted, shared or hybridised, eliciting an initial note of confusion from the viewer that soon gives way to studied perception and attention. Nunzio’s sculptures are pieces to walk around, analyse and take the time to appreciate – to experience in full.
Nunzio’s first solo show at Galleria Spatia in Bolzano in 1981 marked the beginning of a long series that would punctuate the artist’s forays into and experiments with materials and sculpture. None more so than in 1984, when he exhibited his first large plaster sculptures at Galleria L’Attico in Rome. His first exhibition in North America was held at the Annina Nosei Gallery in New York in 1985. The following year, Galleria L’Attico showcased his first works in wood and lead, some of which went on to feature at the 42nd Venice Biennale, where he was awarded the 2000 Prize for best young artist.
The latter part of the 20th century saw Nunzio travel extensively and make the most of innumerable opportunities: at the Nouvelle Biennale in Paris (1985); L’Italie aujourd’hui at the National Centre for Contemporary Art in Nice (1985); Nuove trame dell’arte at Castello Colonna in Genazzano and Anni Ottanta at the Galleria Comunale in Bologna (1985); Aspekte der Italienischen Kunst in various cities throughout Germany (1986); the 11th Quadriennale in Rome and the sixth Sydney Biennial (1986); Los Nuevos Romanos in Santiago de Compostela and Madrid; Prospekt ‘89 in Frankfurt (1989); Roma interna at the Ludwig Museum of Modern Art in Vienna (1991); and the third Istanbul Biennial (1992). There was also an especially fruitful period in Japan, including an inaugural solo show at the Kodama Gallery in Osaka in 1994, followed by an appearance at the 1995 Fujisankei Biennial. His sculpture Ombre was acquired by the Hakone Open Air Museum and was awarded a prize for excellence.
The new millennium was no less eventful. It began with a solo show at Galleria Fumagalli in Bergamo (2000) and featured a vast array of exhibitions: at Giorgio Persano Gallery in Turin; a solo show at Galleria dello Scudo in Verona (2005); anthological exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, curated by Danilo Eccher, the Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art and the Croatian Association of Artists in Zagreb (all between 2006 and 2007); a solo show at the Biedermann Museum in Donaueschingen, Germany (2012); and Museo Riso in Palermo and the Pinacoteca di Teora, Italy (2016). In 2018 Galleria Casamadre in Naples provided the setting for his solo show Nunzio – Giallo di Napoli Nero pece Blu cobalto.
Nunzio currently lives and works between Rome and Turin.
