Riccardo Licata biography

Riccardo Licata was a renowned Italian painter and mosaicist. Born in Turin in 1929, Riccardo Licata spent part of his youth in Paris and later moved to Rome in 1935, where he lived until 1945. In 1946, after the end of the Second World War, he moved with his mother to Venice, a city that would become fundamental in his life and artistic career. From his early years in Venice, Riccardo Licata showed great artistic talent.
In 1947, encouraged by Giuseppe Mazzariol, one of the most important Venetian art critics of the time, he enrolled at the Venice Art High School, where he studied under the guidance of Luciano Gasperi and Mario De Luigi. During this period, he had the opportunity to come into contact with the architect Antonio Salvatori, who introduced him to the artistic culture of the Bauhaus, and with the painter Romualdo Scarpa, who initiated him into the art of mosaic, a discipline that would have a decisive influence on his future artistic production.
In the following years, Riccardo Licata immersed himself in the Venetian art scene, actively participating in the debate on the renewal of Italian art in the postwar period. He visited the 1948 Venice Biennale, where he had the opportunity to admire Peggy Guggenheim's collection and meet the artists of the Fronte Nuovo delle Arti, such as Santomaso, Birolli, Pizzinato, Vedova, Guttuso, Turcato and Viani, who were revolutionizing Italian art.
In 1950, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, where he attended painting courses taught by Bruno Saetti. He began exhibiting his artworks and participated in the 1952 Venice Biennale with a large mosaic. The following year, he exhibited at the Milan Triennale, confirming his talent and growing notoriety.
His artistic career developed between Venice and Paris.
In 1956, Riccardo Licata moved to Paris as an assistant to Gino Severini at the mosaic chair. In this city, he came into contact with internationally renowned artists and art critics, such as Matta, Brauner, Huntertwasser, Lebel, Jouffroy, Tancredi and Mondino. His artwork underwent a remarkable evolution, and Riccardo Licata began to develop his artistic language characterized by an alphabet of symbols and graphic strokes, which he defined as imaginary letters, drawing inspiration from musical language.
In addition to painting and mosaic, Riccardo Licata also devotes himself to graphics, producing engravings of great artistic value. Throughout his career, he participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in important Italian and international cities, such as Paris, London, São Paulo, Stockholm, and New York. His artworks are present in prestigious collections and museums worldwide, including the Modern Art Museum of Venice, Milan, Rome, Vienna, and New York.
Riccardo Licata is not limited to artistic production but also dedicates himself to theatrical set design and ballet, creating the scenes and costumes for artworks such as Euripides' "Medea" and Giuseppe Marotta's ballet "Ichspaltung."
Riccardo Licata is considered one of the most important Italian artists of the twentieth century. His artistic research went through various phases and managed to combine abstraction with a profound exploration of spatial rhythms and meaningfully marked signs. His graphic-pictorial writing, inspired by music, gave a unique identity to his artworks, which stand out for the skillful use of symbols and graphic strokes. His death in 2014 represents a significant loss for the Italian and international art scene, but his artistic legacy will continue to influence and inspire future generations.