Massimo Biagi Biography
Massimo Biagi was born in Marliana, in the province of Pistoia in 1949. He graduated from the Petrocchi Art Institute in Pistoia and subsequently attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. From the mid-1960s, after various graphic and pictorial experiments, he arrived at the formulation of the first graphic manifesto in 1978, in which he exposed his theories on the compositions obtained through a quick gesture, with small repeated signs that automatically express the artist's thoughts. He then created the "Foglio/Manifesto", in which the Nobel Prize winner Samuel Beckett, Emilio Vedova and Raphael Alberti participated. In 1985 the Sassolini Editore Archive published the posters and other writings on graphics created in those years. In Pistoia, at Tonino Nespoli's "Studio La Torre", Biagi presented the first exhibition of graphic works in 1984, with a presentation by Mario Nigro, followed by the "Telos" exhibition with Piero Dorazio, Carla Accardi, Gianni Ruffi and Fernando Melani. In 1987 he exhibited the "Excitoplastiche" for the first time in a personal exhibition held at Villa Renatico Martini in Monsummano Terme, marking the beginning of his confrontation with the idea of form in relation to space. In 1989 Biagi was selected to participate in the "Ad Villam" exhibition held at the Rocca Paolina in Perugia and subsequently in Prato, and his work was noticed by Sol LeWitt. His interest in artists' books dates back to 1993, when he worked on the "Artist's Books" exhibition presented at the "Luigi Pecci" Center for Contemporary Art in Prato and subsequently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1996 he presented the "Books" series, in which the writing becomes denser, becoming faithful testimony to a flow of interior images. In 2001 he began writing the Miradario, a work to which he dedicated himself continuously until 2005, involving experiences in various disciplines: sculpture, drawing and video. Among the main exhibitions in which he participated: 1965 Group exhibition at the Royal Palace in Milan, 1968 Cerreto Guidi Award in Florence, 1973 Personal exhibition at the La Pota Vecchia Gallery in Pistoia, 1976 Tuscan Painters at the National Museum of Bielefeld (Germany), 1977 Photographic exhibition/ teaching on Picasso, Homage Exhibition by M. Biagi "Paintings from 1970 to 1974" in Monsummano Terme, 1978 Visual Arts Center - Exhibition of operators and artists for the Foglio/Manifesto project - Montecatini Art Academy, and Modern Art Center Bonelli - painting, sculpture and graphics of the operators and artists for the Foglio/Manifesto in Montecatini Terme. He also dedicated himself to the production of artists' books. In 1990 he collaborated on a book with Anna Brancolini. He is also known for his production of "Excitoplastics", large-scale wooden works with a design set usually in a monochromatic color, and the "Estroflexe" sculptures, low-relief wooden works treated in bright colors. In 2010 he was the protagonist of the "Convivio" exhibition at the Vannucci Gallery in Pistoia, where he created specifically for the occasion a series of ceramic works such as plates, jugs, dishes, and also tables and chairs, which were used during the event.
