Palermo painter Tino Signorini dies at 86, master of nocturnal melancholy

Tino Signorini, a Sicilian painter known for his dark, tactile works exploring urban and domestic interiors, died on April 8, 2020, in Palermo at age 86. Born in Tripoli in 1934, he moved to Palermo in 1946. His first exhibition was in 1963 in Caltanissetta; his last in 2018 at Galleria Elle Arte in Palermo. In 2004, the Province of Palermo honored him with a retrospective at Palazzo Branciforte. Signorini remained dedicated to painting, drawing, and figuration throughout his career, resisting new media and conceptual trends. His work, often in black conté and mixed media, evokes the lessons of Informale, Sironi, Morandi, and Nuova Figurazione, with influences from Renzo Vespignani. Critic Eva Di Stefano described his spaces as "cages of desperate black." He cited his experience of war and the disappearance of Palermo's artistic community as sources of his melancholy. He worked at night, believing things appear with hidden truth under artificial light. His practice was solitary, focused on the ontological truth of painting. He is remembered by curator Emilia Valenza as immersed in his materials, creating intimate compositions. Artribune published the obituary.