World renowned Pop artist Lorenzo Marini created the “Type Art” movement, for which he wrote the official manifesto, and is widely known. His work has been exhibited worldwide, and praised by critics worldwide, often attracting more attention than any other concurrent exhibitions.
Represented in the U.S. by Bruce Lurie Gallery, sales of the artist’s work keep him busy, trying to keep up with ever-growing demand. Also running one of the largest ad agencies in Italy, he has offices in Turin, Milan, and Manhattan. He spends his time between Milan, NYC, and LA.
Early Beginnings
Finishing his degree in architecture in Venice in 1980, Marini worked with a number of Italian advertising agencies including the world famous Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Canard and Gruppo Armando Testa. Wanting more freedom however, he launched his own agency; Lorenzo Marini & Associati in Milan in 1997.
The company skyrocketed, and so a new branch in Turin was also created. Still not enough however, and unable to keep up with business booming from America, he expanded yet again, opening another office in in New York.
Business was phenomenal, and the awards he gained as an art director were equally plentiful. Marini has received over 500 awards in Italy and internationally, including the Lion d’Or at the Cannes International Advertising Festival for his campaign for Agnesi pasta in 1985.
A multidisciplinary artist, Marini has forayed into cartoon illustration, directing, painting, and writing, with the publication of several works of non-fiction and two novels, one of which has been translated into English. For Italy’s RAI 2 radio station, he has presented “Il giorno della marmotta” (“Groundhog Day”), a program about creativity, together with Dario Vergassola.
Early Influences
Marini’s was mentored by Emilio Vedova, after completing his degree in architecture from the University of Venice. In 2010, Marini begin exhibiting his artworks to the public. The first exhibitions were held in New York and Miami, participating in Art Basel Miami and the Armory Show in NYC. In 2016, he unveiled his “Type Art” for the first time, at the Palazzo della Permanente in Milan,” the movement of which Marini is the founder. In 2017 he exhibited at the 57th Biennale Arte in Venice, at the Armenia Pavilion.
In 2017 Marini was conferred with the Pubblicità nell’Arte award, an award introduced at the 11th NC Awards. Marini created the logo and branding for Lavazza Espression, Galleria Borghese, Conai, Lux Vide, Fastweb, Novamont, Spuma Di Sciampagna, Eicma, Oltremare, Faac, Agnesi, and Zucchi, among others.
Since 2019, he has collaborated with Cramum and Sabino Maria Frassà, for the AlphaCUBE installation which was presented for DesignWeek 2019 by Ventura Projects. This was exhibited in Venice, for the 58th Biennale Arte, Dubai, and in Los Angeles.
Awards
In 2020 in Los Angeles, Marini received the Mobius Advertising Award in an international competition for creativity, for the new alphabet of his creation, Futurtype. In the same year, he presented his new cycle of works titled “Typemoticon” for his personal exhibition “Out of Words” at Gaggenau Hub in Milan. In September 2020 he designed the “Manifesto for the Venice Pavilion” at the Venice Biennale, titled Aperture Straordinarie (“Extraordinary Openings”).
In 2021 Marini received the AVI award for the most visited exhibition in Italy of contemporary art, Di Segni e Di Sogni (“Of Signs and of Dreams”), at the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex in Siena, with over 50,000 visitors.
A global artist who is influencing culture through his positive impact on his viewers and fans, Lorenzo Marini is a fascinating creator. We had the opportunity to speak with him after he wrapped up his recent exhibition at the LA Art Show last week in Los Angeles. The following is that interview, exclusively for News Blaze.
Lorenzo Marini: Interview
News Blaze: What was life like for you growing up in Italy?
Lorenzo Marini: In Italy, we invented the “dolce vita,” and it is clear to everyone that if a country is so loved, it is because there is “joy of life.” Around us, everything is beauty, art, culture, and music.
News Blaze: Amazing. Are you married or do you have any children? Tell us about your family if so.
Marini: I am married to Mari Pietrogiovanna. We met very young. She is a wonderful person, and loves art. She studied a lot, especially Renaissance, Flemish, and Dutch art. Now she teaches it at the University of Padua. We do not have children, because the child is me!
News Blaze: (laughs)
Marini: A short while ago, our dog went to the heaven of dogs. Her name was Cioè. A wonderful Labrador. I have two siblings; one lives in Rome and the other in Florence. Both, cities of art.
News Blaze: Sorry to hear about Cioè! Who or what are some of your biggest non-painter influences growing up?
Marini: Who has influenced my life more than anyone else, since we exclude the painters, is the master Yogananda. If I meditate every day, it is thanks to him. And if I’m happy, it’s because I meditate every day. The East has found the answers that the West is still looking for.
News Blaze: That’s great you meditate. Who are some of your favorite artists that influenced your painting?
Marini: Artists can be favored even if they don’t influence our painting. I love Rembrandt, painter of souls. Those closest to my understanding of painting are Cy Twombly, Rauschenberg, Basquiat. At the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice I had Emilio Vedova as a teacher. An artist who sought deepening, drama, and sign. And it is precisely the gesture of the sign that he left me.
News Blaze: Excellent. You won an award for having the most visited exhibition in Italy. Over 50,000! What was that like? Did you see all those people yourself?
Marini: The Siena exhibition “Di Segni e Di Sogni” was fantastic. In a building dating back to 1200, I had available spaces, creative freedom, and investment. I thank Mayor Luigi De Mossi again for all of this. The curator Luca Beatrice was special. I spent many days in this special city. I met so many people. And the most beautiful thing is the look in the faces of those who share your work.
News Blaze: Wonderful. You have participated in many art shows. Which is your favorite, and why?
Marini: Participation in the biennial in North China was one of the most spectacular. A country vastly different from ours which considers calligraphy as an art. After all, the letters I paint are contemporary calligraphies. The funny thing is that very few speak English, and to do anything, you need an interpreter. On that occasion I then took a calligraphy course in Beijing, to understand the meaning of the ideograms from within.
News Blaze: Amazing. You have traveled all over the world. What is your favorite city, and why?
Marini: The city that has remained in my heart the most is Kyoto. I only understood why while being there. Probably my last life I was in those parts. But the lake Palace in Rajasthan is one of the most magical places.
News Blaze: Great. You both come out of the advertising world, and of course are both pop artists. What does Andy Warhol mean to your life and your work?
Marini: Andy Warhol represents the revenge of art on advertising. This began a century ago by stealing artists from art, directors from cinema, and testimonials from TV. Warhol brought detergents, soups and newspaper photos to the canvas. That was his brilliant idea. To take the surface and represent it. He always said don’t look for anything beyond his images because all there was, was on the surface. I especially love Warhol’s use of color and his way of handling contrasts.
News Blaze: Nice. You look and appear much younger than your age. How do you do that and how do you keep up your busy lifestyle traveling all over the world without burning out?
Marini: I don’t pay much attention to the shape. I prefer to cultivate harmony. I don’t eat animals that I can pet. I listen to relaxing music. I don’t lead a worldly life. I practice yoga. And especially, I believe in happiness; in the purpose that each of us has in this life, happiness within things, and beyond them. Oh, and I love carrot and apple juice! No alcohol, and no drugs! They are not needed.
News Blaze: Nice! That’s good! What is your purpose as an artist?
Marini: Every artist should come up with fresh ideas. 90% of artworks we see are basically execution. We propose the same things again with different techniques. Leo Castelli, one of the greatest gallery owners in the world never told his artists what they had to do. But he always asked them to come up with new ideas. When someone asks me: “how,” I answer “you should ask me why.”
Visit the official Lorenzo Marini website at: https://lorenzomariniarte.com/en/
