BERTINI, Gianni (Pisa, 1922 - Caen, Francia 2010)Gianni Bertini

Gianni Bertini, born in Pisa in 1922, approached abstract painting in 1947. Between 1948 and 1949, he produced the 'Gridi' cycle using stamped letters and figures. After a short stay in Rome, he settled in Milan in 1950. He actively participated in Italian cultural life and was a member of the Milanese MAC. He then produced paintings in which dripping is widely used. These works were presented in October 1951 at the Galleria Numero in Florence and constituted the first manifestation of informal painting in Italy and were later called 'nuclear paintings'. Towards the end of 1951, he moved to Paris and in May 1952 his first solo exhibition in Paris (Galerie Arnaud) took place. In 1957 he joined the 'Espaces Imaginaires' group proposed by Pierre Restany. In 1960, he left for America and while working with the Gres Gallery in Chicago, he lived in New York. He returned to Paris. He participates in the "Nouveau Réalisme" movement. After an extended stay in Tangier, he returned to Paris and in 1965, signed the first 'Mec-Art' manifesto. He took part in the Venice Biennale in 1950, 1958 and 1968 when he was invited with a personal room, while in the following edition he was exhibition commissioner. He took part in the Rome Quadriennale in 1986. He collaborated on Italian and foreign magazines and founded the magazine 'Mec' in 1969.