FRANCESCO CLEMENTE

Francesco Clemente (b. 1952) is a contemporary Italian artist known for his paintings based on mystical themes of sexuality, spirituality, and the self. He has worked across various artistic media, including drawing, fresco, graphics, mosaic, oils, and sculpture. While he has been associated with the Italian Transvanguardia movement in the 1980s, he has largely rejected the labels of movements and styles. Throughout his life, Clemente has lived at various times in Italy, in India, and in New York City. Since relocating to New York in 1981, Clemente collaborated with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Allen Ginsberg. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in NY, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland, and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.