Paolo Scheggi biography

Paolo Scheggi, born in Settignano, Florence, in 1940, was an Italian artist among the most representative of the Italian neo-avant-garde of the Sixties. His brief but intense life of artistic research led him to explore multiple languages, transforming him into a true innovator of the artistic scene of the time. >After spending a period of study in London, in 1961, he moved to Milan, a city that would play a fundamental role in the development of his artistic career. Here he had the opportunity to come into contact with the most famous artists of the era and was immediately noticed by Lucio Fontana, who from that moment followed his research with interest.
Paolo Scheggi's early works consist of assembled sheets and material collages, but soon his style evolved towards the famous Intersurfaces. These works, monochrome and composed of three overlapping canvases with elliptical or circular openings, became the matrix of a multifaceted artistic research, embracing various fields such as painting, architecture, fashion, design, poetry, and theater.
The artist's talent was quickly recognized internationally, and in 1964 he was invited to the exhibition "44 protagonists of structured visuality" curated by Carlo Belloli at the Galleria Lorenzelli in Milan. In 1965, Gillo Dorfles included him in the Object Painting movement and his work became part of the Nove Tendencjie movement, in close contact with the Nul and Zero groups.
Paolo Scheggi's success was further consolidated in 1966 when he participated in the XXXIII Venice Biennale and was present at the exhibition "Weiss auf Weiss" at the Kunsthalle in Bern, curated by Harald Szeemann.
In 1967 he represented Italy at the V Biennale des Jeunes Artistes in Paris and took part in important international exhibitions such as "The Space of the Image" at Palazzo Trinci in Foligno and the Exposition International des Beaux Arts de Montreal. His artistic research opened to architectural experimentation in 1964, when he collaborated with the Nizzoli Associati studio as a "plastic operator" and designed the new tailoring of Germana Marucelli in Milan, creating a "livable experience of plastic integration with architecture". In January 1967, he exhibited the Plastic Intercamera for the first time at the Galleria del Naviglio in Milan, marking a turning point in his career. From that moment, Paolo Scheggi's research expanded to the world of theater and extended into urban space, surpassing the traditional boundaries of the art gallery. His performances such as the Funeral March and the action Oplà Stick, which took place between Milan, Zagreb, and Florence in 1969, are significant examples of this new phase of his artistic production.
In 1970 and 1971, Paolo Scheggi undertook an artistic investigation with a mythic-political key, deepening relations with religious, anthropological, and symbolic forms of art. He participated in exhibitions such as "My Love" and "Vitality of the Negative" in 1970, showing his constant commitment to seeking new expressive forms. His career was tragically cut short in 1971 when he died in Rome. His artistic legacy continues to influence subsequent generations, and one year after his passing, works such as Tomba della Geometria and 6profetiper6geometrie were exhibited at the XXXVI Venice Biennale. Paolo Scheggi's figure has been recognized as an example of integration between the arts and as a precursor of Performance Art, anticipating the concepts of interaction and active audience involvement that would characterize contemporary art. His research continues to inspire today's artists, demonstrating that his brief artistic life had a lasting impact on Italian and international art.