Nicola De Maria (born 6 December 1954 in Foglianise, Italy) is an Italian painter living and working in Torino, Italy.[1] De Maria is known for his abstract figurative works, which have been characterized as lyrical and colourful.[2] [3]
De Maria earned a master's degree in medicine[4] but then in 1977 he executed his first wall painting in Milan. In the same year of 1977 DeMaria exhibited at the Paris Biennale.[5]
He is most often associated with the art group termed the Transavanguardia, a movement named and first exhibited by the Italian art critic and curator Achille Bonito Oliva at the "Aperto 80" section of the 39th Venice Biennale in 1980.[6] Along with De Maria the principal transavantgarde artists were; Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Nino Longobardi, Luigi Ontani, and Mimmo Paladino.[7]
In 1982 De Maria's work was included in documenta 7 in Kassel, Germany.[8]
In 1990 De Maria once again exhibited at the Venice Biennale to which he contributed five "Space Paintings".[9] His work was shown in the Italian Pavilion in an exhibition curated by Laura Cherubini, Flaminio Gualdoni and Lea Vergine.[10]
In 2013 there was a retrospective of his work held at the Turin Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, "The Madness to Come"curated by Danilo Eccher.[11]