Luigi Serafini

1949 / Rome, Italy
Classical Surrealism DrawingPaintingSculptureDesignArchitectureCeramicsWriting

About

Luigi Serafini is an Italian artist, architect, designer, sculptor, ceramist, glazier, painter, set designer, and writer, best known for his surreal illustrated encyclopedia Codex Seraphinianus, published in 1981. Born in Rome, he created the Codex over nearly three years in isolation, depicting an imaginary universe with fantastical machines, flora, fauna, mythologies, and asemic script derived from automatic writing. His multifaceted career includes designing furniture for the Memphis Group, collaborating with Federico Fellini on the film La Voce della Luna (1990), and creating sets and costumes for Teatro alla Scala and Piccolo Teatro in Milan. Serafini's work often blends surrealism with humor, drawing comparisons to Hieronymus Bosch and M.C. Escher, and he has produced public installations like polychrome sculptures for Naples' Materdei metro station.

Surrealism with fantastical, imaginary constructs and asemic script

Selected Exhibitions

  • Palazzo Grassi, Venice (1981)
  • Hayden Gallery, MIT, Cambridge (1983)
  • Mudima Foundation, Milan (1998)
  • XII Quadriennale of Rome (1999)
  • Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome (2001)
  • Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan (2007)
  • 54th Venice Biennale (2011)