Maurizio Donzelli (1958 Brescia, Italy) lives and works in his native city. An intellectual artist whose practice spans philosophy, anthropology, and visual culture, Donzelli has developed an extensive research path focused on the image as a site of concentration, migration, and transformation of visual memory. His works unfold in cycles, each exploring different materials and techniques—drawings, tapestries, mirrors, monochromes, canvas, and resin—allowing the viewer to engage with the infinite potential of evocation and iconic reference. Time, history, and geography are recurring themes, providing a conceptual backdrop to the formal experimentation that defines his oeuvre.
A key feature of Donzelli’s practice is the transformation of the conceptual act into tangible sign and colour. His works exist in a constant state of flux, shaped through an ongoing dialogue with the spectator, who becomes a co-author of the image. The artist investigates the creative act not as a finite event but as a continuous interaction: the work is made, unmade, and remade in relation to the gaze, creating an experience that is simultaneously intellectual, sensorial, and emotional.
Over the years, Donzelli’s work has been the focus of international exhibitions and scholarly attention. Solo exhibitions include Diorama, Open Source First Shenzhen Biennial (Luohu Art Museum, Shenzhen, 2018), Ad Altemps (Palazzo Altemps, Rome, 2015), and Metamorphosis (Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, 2012). His works have also featured in collective shows such as Intuition (Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, 2017) and Proportio (Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, 2015), highlighting his contribution to contemporary conceptual and perceptual art.
In addition to his artistic production, Donzelli has contributed to the field through teaching, serving as Professor of Theory of Perception and Psychology of Colour at the Naba Academy in Brescia for seven years. His theoretical work has been documented in publications that reflect his artistic inquiry and philosophical reflections, including Spettacolo di Niente (2003), Lo Sguardo del Disegnatore (2002), Metamorfosi (2012), Diramante (2015), and La Linea del Tutto (2016), the latter accompanying a two-person show at Cortesi Gallery in London and Lugano.
Donzelli’s works are held in major public and private collections in Italy and abroad, reflecting the international recognition of his practice. Through his art, he continues to explore the principles of doing, the transformative power of perception, and the interplay between work and viewer, creating a visual language that is at once conceptual, evocative, and deeply experiential.
For information on available works by the artist, please contact the gallery.