Carmelo Pluchino

Carmelo Pluchino (1946-2024) was born in Spinea, on the Venice mainland, and followed his boyhood artistic vocation while holding a bank job to support himself. He moved into Venice’s neo-avant-garde circles, befriending exponents of the New Front of Arts and Spatialism and joining the group around Virgilio Guidi, where he renewed his friendship with Emilio Vedova. Gianni De Marco of the Traghetto Gallery championed his work, gave him his first show, and later backed exhibitions across Italy and introductions to collectors.

At the Il Cavallino Gallery he met artists from the Cobra movement, whose fantasy, along with Vedova’s gestural informal style, shaped his research. A visit to the 1964 Biennale introduced him to American Pop Art and turned his work decisively toward it. In the 1990s he began reconciling Post Informal language with popular figuration. In 2004 he collaborated with architect and designer Enzo Berti on a performance at the Milan Furniture Exhibition.

A passionate collector of antique African art, he traveled to Africa and created a cycle of works inspired by its tribal peoples. Pluchino passed away in 2024. The Art Collective Gallery is the only online gallery in the USA showcasing his work.