Carlo Maria Mariani's Foundation Rejects 'Anachronist' Label, Announces Retrospective

The Fondazione Carlo Maria Mariani has issued a statement rejecting the frequent labeling of the late artist (1931–2021) as an 'anachronist painter,' arguing that such classifications misrepresent his conceptual rigor. The foundation emphasizes that Mariani, who moved from Rome to New York in 1993, was an isolated figure whose work stems from conceptual urgency rather than postmodern nostalgia. Currently, his solo exhibition 'I Segni dei Tempi' is on view at Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples until July 14, 2026, curated by Andrea Viliani and Antonio Martino. This follows a 2024 show at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, 'Arte oltre il tempo,' curated by Vittorio Sgarbi and Clayton Calvert. A major retrospective, 'Ad Aeternitatem pingo,' will open at Palazzo Citterio in Milan on October 8, 2026, in collaboration with the Pinacoteca di Brera, curated by Eike Schmidt and Calvert. The foundation cites Mariani's own 2013 statement where he declared, 'I am not an Anachronist Painter. I am not a Cultured Painter,' and his 1977 assertion, 'I am not an Artist, I am not the Painter, I am the Opus.' The foundation aims to protect his intellectual legacy and correct what it sees as superficial art-historical categorization.