Riccardo Camoni was born on April 16, 1950 in Buenos Aires (Argentina) to Italian parents. Two years later the family moved back to Milano, Italy

Camoni made his debut in the Italian art scene in 1968, when he participated in a three day event “arte povera+azioni povere” organized by Germano Celant and M. and L. Rumma in Amalfi. Submitting a work of performance art, the artist would “trample a 100 square meter sand rectangle that he previously had smoothed and leveled”.

His first solo exhibit took place in Milano in 1974. It was soon followed by more solo and collective exhibits in Italy and abroad.

During the’70s and the ‘80s Camoni’s research addressed the material nature of color. He spread large brush strokes over surfaces from which the paint is easily detachable, thus creating scraps of acrylic color similar to petals or shreds which are afterward assembled according to regular patterns. This approach is similar to that of artists associated with the “analytic painting” movement.

Camoni then began painting the “Red Drawings” series. Evoking a certain minimalism, the paintings combine the geometric and organic aspects of form that are enhanced by chromatic solutions. Red and black are the artist’s favorite colors and to which he remained faithful in later years. The geometrical inspiration for his painting is also transposed into sculpture. The solid shapes, embellished with whimsical colored cutouts, polyester and fiberglass structures, propel Camoni’s painting into the third dimension. He is inspired by rocks and quartz whose geometric forms are freely split and rearranged in space. His precision and elegance soon draw attention to his art. In 1984, the jewelers Sara e Fulvio Scavia commissioned a polychrome sculpture to be placed on the facade of their store in Via della Spiga, Milano. The sculpture, along with the façade, was subsequently donated to the Milano City Municipality. In addition to displaying his work in solo and collective exhibits, he was also invited to participate in exhibitions in Milano (Palazzo Reale, Triennale, Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea), and at international Art Fairs (Basel, Köln, Bologna, Stockholm).

As if driven by an inner necessity, in 1986 Camoni converts his creative work into a dynamic form. His video “Catalisi” (Catalysis) portrays an ecstatic division and recombination of images moving to a soundtrack; the overall effect is rich in spatial and cosmic tones. In 1986 Camoni also begins his career as a teacher of painting at the Fine Arts Academy in Bologna. His objective as an instructor and mentor was to enhance the skills of each student while respecting their freedom of expression.

Urged by the desire for a radical change, in 1990 Camoni moved to Catania where he continued his teaching career at the city Fine Arts Academy. Inspired by the splendor of Sicilian light and, Camoni embarked on one of his most intense and sophisticated periods. Black and gold are now the dominant colors. The inspiration is almost mystical and cosmic, as evidenced by titles such as “Prayers”, “Nocturnal Meditations”, or “The Decay of the Proton”.

A few years later Camoni joined the Fine Arts Academy in Urbino. There he explored new creative possibilities with a paper collage technique. By isolating and cutting pieces of images from their context and recombining them, his work suggests a world of animal forms or of internal body organs. Furthermore, the lyrical arrangement of the compositions elicit a sense of irony.

In 1993 Camoni accepted the Chair in Painting at the Torino Fine Arts Academy. Watercolor now becomes one of his favored mediums; it allows him to create dreamlike scenes by melding colorful abstract and figurative shapes. The watercolor series signal his rediscovery of “painting as painting” and of a renewed freedom of expression.

In 1995 Camoni transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice where he remained until his permanent relocation to Bologna in 1998. A mentor, rather than just an instructor, he focused on identifying the most genuine artistic core in each student while respecting their individuality.

Camoni died prematurely on August 3, 2008. In the following years Camoni’s work was honored by renowned art critics such as Renato Barilli, Camoni’s work was featured in various group shows, including two large exhibitions, at the Archeological Museum in Bologna in 2010 and at Magazzini del Sale, in Cervia in 2011.