Mimmo Paladino (1948 Paduli, Italy) is an Italian painter, sculptor, printmaker, and draughtsman. He attended the Liceo Artistico di Benevento from 1964 to 1968, and in the early 1970s focused on drawing, developing much of the imagery that would later characterize his paintings.
Paladino held his first solo exhibitions in 1976 at the galleries D’Arte Duemila, Bologna, and Nuovi Strumenti, Brescia. After moving to Milan in 1977, he produced predominantly monochrome paintings in blue, red, and yellow, often integrating found objects. His work came to prominence in 1980, when critic Achille Bonito Oliva associated him with the Transavanguardia painters, alongside Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, and Nicola De Maria.
The artist’s practice is characterized by the appropriation of diverse artistic traditions and iconographies, ranging from ancient and tribal imagery to classical forms and Modernist painting and sculpture. Across two- and three-dimensional media, Paladino explores themes of myth, memory, and archetype. His printmaking, exemplified by series such as Matematico (2001), often depicts semi-figurative, primitive male figures holding objects, reflecting a tension between the archaic and the contemporary.
In sculpture, Paladino employs traditional materials like bronze and stone, creating elongated forms of horses, birds, and the human figure that balance classical references with a modern sensibility. His work consistently engages with the interplay of narrative, symbol, and form, situating him as a pivotal figure in contemporary Italian art.
Mimmo Paladino lives and works in Milan, Rome, and Paduli, Italy.
For information on available works by the artist, please contact the gallery.