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Rediscovering Luigi Pericle: Swiss-Italian Artist's Three Lives

publication · 2026-04-27

At the Turin Book Fair, the bilingual publication 'Luigi Pericle. Il Maestro ritrovato' (Nino Aragno, 168 pages), edited by Andrea Biasca-Caroni, was unveiled. This volume includes contributions from critics and artists such as Bianca Cerrina Feroni and Marco Pasi. Luigi Pericle transitioned from an early figurative style to informal abstraction around the age of 40, showcasing his art alongside prominent London artists in the 1960s. In late 1965, he retreated to Ascona to focus on esoteric studies. Biasca-Caroni purchased his home in December 2016, which contained nearly 4,000 unpublished pieces and a novel. Pasi characterizes Pericle's work as possessing a 'posthumous drive,' and a solo exhibition is scheduled for September at the Estorick Collection in London.

Key facts

  • Book 'Luigi Pericle. Il Maestro ritrovato' published by Nino Aragno, 168 pages bilingual
  • Edited by Andrea Biasca-Caroni, president of Archivio Luigi Pericle
  • Presented at Turin Book Fair
  • Essays by Bianca Cerrina Feroni, Michele Ciacciofera, Angelo Crespi, Luigi Mascheroni, Marco Pasi, Andrea Biasca-Caroni
  • Pericle destroyed his early figurative works around age 40, shifted to informal abstraction
  • Exhibited in 1960s with Karel Appel, Sam Francis, Asger Jorn, Antoni Tàpies, Jean Dubuffet, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Pablo Picasso
  • Withdrew from art world in late 1965, lived as hermit in Ascona at Monte Verità
  • House purchased December 2016 by Biasca-Caroni contained nearly 4,000 unpublished works
  • Unpublished novel 'Bis ans Ende der Zeiten' (Until the End of Time)
  • Retrospectives at Fondazione Querini Stampalia (Venice) and MASI Lugano
  • Monographic exhibition scheduled for September at Estorick Collection, London
  • Marco Pasi is director of Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy at University of Amsterdam

Entities

Artists

  • Luigi Pericle
  • Karel Appel
  • Sam Francis
  • Asger Jorn
  • Antoni Tàpies
  • Jean Dubuffet
  • Jean-Paul Riopelle
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Michele Ciacciofera

Institutions

  • Archivio Luigi Pericle
  • Nino Aragno
  • Fondazione Querini Stampalia
  • MASI Lugano
  • Estorick Collection
  • University of Amsterdam
  • Center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents

Locations

  • Turin
  • Italy
  • Ascona
  • Switzerland
  • Monte Verità
  • Venice
  • Lugano
  • London
  • United Kingdom

Sources