Biography
acrylic on canvas 130x100
He lives in Riesi (CL) till 1996 when he received a degree in architecture from the University of Palermo. In 1997 he moved to the city of Bologna to collaborate with the Glauco Gresleri Architectural Studio. In 1998 he returned to Riesi where he opened his own studio. Alongside his activity as architect, Veneziano also realized cartoons for some Italian publishers (i.e. Paruzzo Editor, Capitello Editor).
The first time that the artwork of Giuseppe Veneziano was noticed dates back to 2004 during an exhibition entitled In-Visi held in Milan at the pub Le Trottoir and curated by the writer Andrea G. Pinketts. Among the works displayed, a huge portrait of Osama Bin Laden. However the most debated work was the portrait of Maurizio Cattelan with a noose around his neck. Veneziano hung the work from the same tree where a month earlier the Paduan artist had hung three ragdols to represent the violence against children. Both portraits of Bin Laden and Maurizio Cattelan were published on the cover of Flash Art Magazine. [3]
In 2006, Veneziano made headlines for himself during the exhibition "American Beauty" held at the prestigious gallery in Milan Luciano Inga Pin. One of the works presented was a painting that depicted the decapitation of the famous writer Oriana Fallaci, entitled Occidente, Occidente. According to the artist, his intentions were meant to be a reflection of the fear atmosphere that most of Europe was experiencing post-September 11 and after the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London. During the opening days the exhibition was broadcast on national and international media and a debate started with: the Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, the photographer Oliviero Toscani, some important journalists (e.g. L.Annunziata, La Stampa; R.Farina, Libero) and the well-known art critics Flavio Caroli and Philippe Daverio. Even an outraged Oriana Fallaci wrote several articles in The New Yorker magazine. Many American blog spots accused Europe of anti-American sentiments referring to the exhibition of Giuseppe Veneziano.
In 2007 he participated the 6th edition of the St. Petersburg Biennale where he achieves an award.
In 2008 he is amongst the 20 artists invited to represent Italy at the "Artâthlos" exhibition held during the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
In 2009 once again a painting by the Sicilian artist entitled "Novecento" captured the interest of public and media. The work is a reflection on the relationship between sex and power. Several protagonists of the 20th century (Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, ...) are mated with cartoon heroines and porno-stars. The work was christened "The Cavalier's Orgy" by the press. In the foreground of the enormous painting, the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is pictured together with Cicciolina (an Italian hard-core actress).
In the same year during the Verona Art Fair, the painting, Madonna del Terzo Reich (The Virgin Mary of the Third Reich) was exhibited for the first time. The painting represents a revised version of Raphael's Madonna Cowper, holding a baby Hitler in her arms. The work was censured and the name of the artist was in the spotlight of national and international media once again. The Mayor, the Bishop and the Rabbi of the Jewish community in Verona all requested that it had to be removed. After this censure, in the empty space where the painting had been previously hung, Veneziano sparked a protest declaring his right to freedom of expression. The writer Aldo Busi intervened in support of the artist.
In 2010 the same painting was displayed once again, during the anthological exhibition of Giuseppe Veneziano entitled "Zeitgeist" held in Pietrasanta (Lucca). Also in this occasion, fierce protests were drawn from the local Parish priest. The municipality of Pietrasanta revoked its patronage before the inauguration and imposed that the images of the artwork didn't have to be diffused, although the adverts of the exhibition had already been put up. The Mayor of Pietrasanta disassociated himself from the exhibition, but he didn't close it despite the continuous pressure coming from the Bishop of the town of Lucca. In all the churches of Lucca, the Archbishop of Pisa published a letter declaring a ban on the entire exhibition. In defense of the artist a lot of Italian intellectuals intervened, such as Vittorio Sgarbi, Giampiero Mughini and Andrea G. Pinketts . Finally the exhibition remained open and it reached a huge success with over 10,000 visitors. During this period, the work was noted by the gallery dealer Stefano Contini, who purchased it for his prestigious personal collection. He also invited the artist to become part of his team of artists represented through the Contini galleries in Venice. [4]
In 2011 Vittorio Sgarbi invited him to participate in the 54th edition of the Venice Biennale [5] with an exhibition in the Italian pavilion. In this highly esteemed location the artist exhibited the work, Solitamente Vesto Prada (I Usually Wear Prada). The work was seen by stylists Dolce&Gabbana who commissioned the artist to do a portrait of them with the Madonna portrayed as the likeness of the singer Madonna Ciccone and the courtiers as two putti at her feet. [6] [7]
In 2012, Ivan Quaroni chose Veneziano among 60 Italian artists that participated in the Italy-China Biennale.
In 2015, his painting Gli Sbronzi di Riace (The Drunks of Riace") was shown at the international EXPO held in Milan, as part of the exhibition "Tesoro d'Italia" curated by Vittorio Sgarbi at the Eataly pavilion.
In the same year he realized a permanent mural in downtown Pordenone, representing a young Vincent Van Gogh while he is painting his artwork Sunflowers on a wall as a simple writer.
In 2016 one of his paintings entered the permanent collection of the MACS Museum in Catania. During the same year, he started his activity as teacher at the academy of 'Belle Arti Aldo Galli' in Como.
In 2019 another of his artworks (Madonna del Cannolo) entered the permanent collection of the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum at Palazzo RISO located in Palermo.
Veneziano was named one of Il Giornale dell'Arte's worst artists of 2021 [8] but the artist took it in stride saying "When Il Giornale dell’Arte's 2021 list puts you amongst the worst artist of the year and then you read the other worst artists (Banksy, Beeple, Jeff Koons, JR) the displeasure passes immediately." [9]
