Claudio Verna's Dual Solo Shows at Cardi and Monitor Galleries

Claudio Verna, born in 1937 in Guardiagrele and a key figure in Italian painting since the 1970s, is the subject of two concurrent solo exhibitions at Cardi Gallery in Milan and Monitor Gallery in Rome, opening September 17 and 21, 2018 respectively. The dual shows arose from coincidental interest rather than collaboration, though both galleries later coordinated to create a joint event. At Cardi Milan, curated by Piero Tomassoni, 11 large-scale monochrome paintings from 1967 to 2016 emphasize white as a luminous, substantial space. At Monitor Rome, curated by Davide Ferri, the focus shifts to color and works on paper, including a six-meter pastel seen at Verna's birthday party in Spoleto. Cardi's director Edoardo Osculati notes the Milan show follows a successful 2018 London retrospective and aims to boost Verna's international profile through fairs. Monitor's owner Paola Capata explains the gallery began working with Verna in 2013, introduced by Ferri, and has since exhibited him in the US, Paris, and Basel. Verna debuted at Galleria Numero in Florence in 1960 and has over 100 solo shows plus Biennale di Venezia participations in 1970 and 1980. The exhibitions are part of a broader Italian reassessment of analytical painting, alongside figures like Cesare Tacchi and Pino Pinelli.