In honor of the 90th anniversary of Piero Guccione’s birth (1935-2018), the Piero Guccione Archive presents the book Piero Guccione: Born for Painting. This publication features a faithful transcription of a lengthy radio interview aired on January 10, 1993, as part of Rai Radio3’s program Paesaggio con figure – Testimoni ed interpreti del nostro tempo.
The book launch will take place on June 4, 2025, at 6:30 PM at the Gallerie d’Italia in Milan, with contributions from Paola Guccione, Elena Pontiggia, and Michele Gulinucci, moderated by Matteo Galbiati.
The title of the volume, Born for Painting, echoes a statement made by art critic Lorenza Trucchi during the program. Guccione was known for his reluctance to appear in public and discuss his work, making this interview a rare opportunity to glimpse his thoughts and creative process.
In the interview, Guccione shared his philosophy of painting, emphasizing the need to “reinvent oneself daily” to convey emotions effectively through his art. He expressed his preference for working in the studio rather than en plein air to avoid the pitfalls of mere representation and discussed the challenges of capturing motion within the stillness of the sea.
The book includes a rich visual array of 49 images, featuring both photographs and paintings, which chronicle Guccione’s artistic journey through traditional mediums. He likened his experience to that of Don Quixote, using a brush and color in a contemporary world filled with “missiles.”
To enhance the reader’s experience, QR codes in the book provide access to original radio excerpts, including heartfelt tributes from Italian cultural figures such as Gesualdo Bufalino and Giovanni Testori, along with two plein air conversations recorded with Guccione on the beaches of Sampieri and in his beloved studio in Quartarella.
The transcription of this program is extracted from a rebroadcast dated August 28, 1993, preserved in the Rai Teche archive.
Alongside the book, the Piero Guccione Archive is organizing an exhibition titled Piero Guccione and Leonardo Sciascia: A Pictorial Chronicle of Friendship, opening on May 24 at the Convento del Carmine in Marsala. The exhibition will display around fifty works by Guccione, complemented by prefaces written by Sciascia for Guccione’s exhibitions in the 1970s and 1980s. Visitors will also be able to view a selection of twelve letters that document the profound friendship and mutual respect between the two artists.
For further details, visit the Piero Guccione Archive website at www.archiviopieroguccione.com.
Photo credits. The photographs are from the artist’s archive.
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