Sandro Chia  (Italian, 1946) 

Sandro Chia (Italian, b.1946) is a member of the postmodern movement, Transavantgarde, formed by a group of Neo-Expressionist artists in the mid-1970s. After studying art in Florence, Chia traveled to India, Turkey, and throughout Europe before moving to Rome in 1970, where he fully developed his figurative, expressionistic formal style. After a residency in Germany, he went to New York and held his first U.S. exhibition at the Sperone Westwater Gallery. Chia’s pictorial language is colorful and eclectic, and explores earlier art movements, including Italian Mannerism, Cubism, Futurism, and Fauvism. His motifs stem from antique and Christian mythologies, and are sometimes understood as a humorous, flippant commentary on religious writings. Chia took part at documenta 7 in Kassel in 1980, and subsequently exhibited his work throughout Europe. Most recently, his work has been shown at the Tate Modern in London and at the Venice Bienniale. Chia currently lives in Miami, Rome, and Montalcino, where he owns a vineyard, and personally designs the labels for the wines produced.