Francesco Gennari (born 1973 in Pesaro, lives and works in Pesaro and Milan)
is one of the most important and representative Italian artist's of his generation. Since embarking on his career he has shown steadfast consistency in formalizing his thoughts in sculpture, creating a significant oeuvre. Gennari begins a work by observing the world: “I simply observe the world and synthesize it [...] it is always intuition that produces art and it is always reason that seeks to understand it.” But it is particularly from the analysis of invisible reality, of that which is denied to our eyes, that his sculptures come forth: self-portraits, works in glass, drawings. The void, absence, is Gennari's sphere of work, the realm of his quest. He shapes it and makes it material, objectified, tangible.
Gennari continually passes from one material to another, from one technique to another, from one medium to another, always in frenetic movement to give expression to the imagination, his tool for gaining knowledge. His is an imagination with scientific and philosophical traits, growing out of the Italian roots that we see in the artist's work, taking us directly into the non-metaphoric anthropomorphism of his works.
In 2009 Francesco Gennari won the Acacia Prize. His work has been displayed in various international museums and exhibitions including:
Plateau / Frac Ile-de-France, Paris, 2013; Palazzo Reale, Milan, 2012; Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, 2011; Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, 2011; IVAM, Valencia, 2011; Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Guarene, 2011; Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, 2010;
Le Magasin, Grenoble, 2010; MuKA extra muros, Mechelen, 2009; MCA, Chicago, 2009; Manifesta 7, Trentino-Alto-Adige, 2008; Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 2008; Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, 2007; Bonner kunstverein, 2006. He has recently been featured in solo exhibitions at Musée d'art moderne de Saint Etienne Metropole, Saint Etienne, 2008; and Museum Dhondt–Dhaenens, Deurle, 2009.
