Sandro Chia

SANDRO CHIA (Florence, Italy, 1946).
“Strano Passo,” 1990.
25-color lithograph, prepared with glue and plaster and mounted on 350 g Magnani paper, print no. VI/XX.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Edition of 90 copies numbered in Arabic numerals, 20 in Roman numerals, and 5 artist’s proofs.
Measurements: 53 × 78.5 cm (image); 70 × 90 cm (paper).

The composition features a highly expressive figure immersed in a space populated by organic forms, animals, and fantastical elements. The density of the drawing, the vivid color palette, and the overlapping motifs create a dynamic scene reminiscent of a mythological or allegorical vision.

The work reflects the characteristic language of Chia and the Italian Transavantgarde, a movement that, during the 1970s and 1980s, revived figuration, gestural expression, and the pleasure of painting in contrast to the austerity of Conceptual Art. The preparation with glue and plaster gives the lithograph a texture and material richness similar to those of a painting.

Sandro Chia is one of the leading figures of the Italian Transavantgarde, alongside Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, and Mimmo Paladino. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, he participated in the Venice Biennale and has exhibited at institutions such as the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. His work is included in the collections of MoMA, the Tate, the Centre Pompidou, and the Stedelijk Museum.