Renato Barilli Remembers Painter Claudio Olivieri

Renato Barilli, born in 1935, writes a personal obituary for his contemporary Claudio Olivieri (born 1934), who has died. Barilli describes their close friendship despite artistic differences: Barilli favors synthesis while Olivieri was associated with analytical painting, supported by critic Filiberto Menna. Barilli recalls Olivieri's temperament as impulsive and polemical. In the late 1970s, Barilli was appointed by Milan mayor Carlo Tognoli to a commission planning municipal exhibitions. In 1979, Barilli organized the show "Pittura ambiente" at Palazzo Reale, inviting Olivieri to create three-dimensional works. Olivieri responded by making mobiles inspired by Calder, placing slender, airy elements with vibrant colors and mobility in space. After the exhibition, Olivieri returned to two-dimensional painting but retained his characteristic dynamism, as if a prisoner bending bars. Barilli notes that Olivieri's work involved a gaseous, foamy substance that seemed to press against the canvas edges. The article also promotes Artribune's newsletters and WhatsApp channel.