Nicola Maria Martino, the artist of painting after painting, has died

Nicola Maria Martino, an Italian artist born in Lesina in 1946, died in Rome on Friday, June 12, just months before his 80th birthday. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome under Sante Monachesi and graduated in 1970 with a thesis discussed with Maurizio Calvesi. Martino began his career with conceptual and behavioral actions in the early 1970s before returning to postmodern painting in the latter half of the decade. His first solo show, "Macondo" (1976), launched a lifelong exploration of cultural memory and the reduction of painterly language to its primal origins. He also served as director of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Sassari for 17 years (1993–2010), taught in Rome and Turin, directed the Accademia di Belle Arti di Torino, and was president of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Foggia.

Martino's death marks the loss of a significant figure in Italian contemporary art who bridged conceptual art and postmodern painting. His participation in the Venice Biennale (1980) and Istanbul Biennial (1989), along with exhibitions at galleries such as Galleria Soligo, Galleria Il Ponte, Galleria Paolo Tonin, and Galleria Rinaldo Rotta, cemented his critical reputation. His legacy as both an artist and an educator—shaping generations of students across multiple academies—underscores his lasting impact on Italy's art scene.