Biography

My name is Francesco Casolari and I'm from Bologna, a city in Northern Italy. I began engraving at the age of 6 under the guidance of my maternal grandmother, who is a painter. My first plates were drypoint, then around 12 I began etching. Immediately after high school, during my first years of university, I was noticed by galleries in my city and began to have my first exhibitions.

Barcelona 3000, 2020. Etching, 80 x 80 cm

In my twenties, I began collaborating with more and more galleries around Italy and began my first museum exhibitions. After six national tours, I had the opportunity, together with my gallery in Milan, to exhibit in several shows in Japan, which allowed me to gain international recognition.

To date, I have done 13 world tours, which have taken place at art fairs, galleries, and museums, and this year I am on my fourteenth. I have exhibited in all the major cities around the world several times, especially Tokyo, New York, and Monte Carlo.

Cocktail party, 2014. Etching, 40 x 40 cm

I have two degrees: a BA in Fashion Design from IUAV in Venice, a BA in Visual Arts from the University of Bologna, and a Master's in Sociology from the University of Bologna. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, collecting streetwear and art. I enjoy reading books on philosophy, economics, sociology, architecture, urban planning, and comics. My favorite artists are Moebius, Enki Bilal, Eboy, Caravaggio, and Fragonard.

Copenhagen 2700, 2017. Etching, 60 x 80 cm

Artist Statement

Francesco Casolari was born in Bologna (Italy) in 1982. He started to engrave when he was 6 and his first creation lasted until the age of 12. Right from the outset of his activity, he has focused on urban settings, engraving medieval and Parisian scenes or opera houses.

Diptych of Northern Capitals, 2015. Etching, 125 x 95 cm

He resumed his activity at 19 and, during his university studies in architecture and fashion design, began to develop his own style: futuristic metropolitan scenes in which he imagines buildings with European architectural features of the past centuries, fast spaceships flying over them and clowns, dames and fictitious characters as inhabitants.

Diptych of the bay, 2020. Etching, 140 x 95 cm

He tries to create utopian cities according to steam punk science-fiction theories. He aims at hyper-figurative representations, where fantasy and precision go hand in hand. His latest handmade etchings are 1x1.5 m and it took him 1300 hours of work, covered in several months, to make them.

Diptych of the gulf, 2020. Etching, 140 x 95 cm

His works have been exhibited among many renowned collections both in Italy and America, and even at institutional level. He has collaborated with fashion companies and architects and, as textile designer, he has labelled accessories, t-shirts and objects. He took part in several exhibitions (museums and art galleries) and international fairs and is mentioned in various art catalogues.

Diptych of the island, 2019. Etching, 125 x 95 cm

His works are shown in a great number of cities all around the world: Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Cologne, Vienna, London, Zurich, Montecarlo, Balearic Islands, Azores Islands, Thessaloniki, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Miami, Caribbean, Toronto, Bogotà, Santiago del Chile, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Boa Vista, Kathmandu, Tehran, Dubai, Oslo, Shenzen, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka. He have done around 350 exhibitions around the world.

Website: www.francescocasolari.com
Instagram: @frengoboy