Massimo Lagrotteria was born in Lucerne (Switzerland) in 1972.
He works and lives in Carpi (MO). His main focus has always been the study of the human figure.
In 2007, he starts collaborating with the De’ Bonis gallery of Reggio Emilia, and after some collective exhibitions in various art fairs he makes his debut in Padua with his first solo exhibition.
It is a time of great experimentation, the bases used change, the canvas is given a material touch through a collage of paper and paperboard. Iron, copper and wood are also used as bases, faces and bodies are mostly alone, in a physical and psychological isolation.
After his travels to New York, he starts working at a set of views of the US metropolis, which will be included (along with the faces and bodies, always part of his art production) in the catalogue “L’incantesimo del caos moderno” – critical text by Stefano Luppi – printed for a set of exhibitions held in Verona, Padua and Venice in 2010.
In 2011 he collaborates with the Anna Breda gallery in Padua, where he opens a solo exhibition in that same year.
In 2012, he is selected for the final stage of the prize “Movimento Segrete di Bocca” organised by the famous Bocca art library of Milan and is inserted in the catalogue publication. During the same year, he shows a work for the collective exhibition “ATTESE” in the gallery Movimento arte contemporanea of Milan.
Still in collaboration with De Bonis gallery, in 2013 he participates in the art fair of Bologna.
He starts a collaboration with the Sciaccheart gallery of Riomaggiore.
His works start becoming “lighter”, canvases are now prepared with enamels and acrylic colours before they are painted. Massimo Lagrotteria is in search of an unattainable balance through a slow and relentless subtraction. Subjects look almost resigned to lose their false centrality in the world. Constantly looking at great masters such as Freud, Dumas or Maria Lassnig, in this phase Massimo also changes his colour palette. The shades of greys, ruddy colours and tar prevail over faces and figures.
In 2014 he participates in the collective exhibition “IN-ABSENTIA” held at the Il Correggio Museum at Palazzo dei Principi in Correggio (RE). He starts collaborating with the Alphacentauri gallery in Parma, taking part in several collective exhibitions.
Also in 2014, during the Festival of Philosophy, he opens his solo exhibition “IN EXCELSIS HOMO” in the Darkroom gallery of Carpi, curated by Andrea Saltini and completed with the publication on the catalogue and critical text by Alessandra Redaelli. During this exhibition, he exhibits for the first time a sculpture made of concrete and iron, a prelude of his new artistic journey.
In 2015, he exhibits a set of 27 small works at the Cuore di vetro in Berlin. The “SFIORATI” series and catalogue are the result of a collaboration with the curator Giuditta Nidiaci, also the author of the critical text.
In the same year he shows a set of works at the Zamek Cultural Centre (Profil Gallery) in Poznan’ (PL) joining the collective exhibition “MIRABILIA” with critical text on the catalogue by Chiara Messori.
He is selected for the ARTEXPOITALIANA exhibition, curated by prof. Vittorio Sgarbi during EXPO 2015.
Between January and February 2016 he participates in the collective exhibitions “Il segreto dei giusti” by Margerita Fontanesi in the Il Correggio Museum inside Palazzo dei Principi of Correggio (RE) and “Faces” at the Down to Art gallery of Ghent (BE).
The Sicilian contemporary art museum (MACS) buys the work “Testa” of 2015. Shortly after, the oil on wood painting “Madonna dello splendore” (200×170) is selected by the commission of the Museo d’arte dello Splendore (MAS) of Giulianova as the altarpiece of the S.Flaviano Dome of Giulianova.
In July 2016, one of his art pieces is part of the collective exhibition “Idee per una collezione” organised by the publishing company ACCA EDIZIONI in the prestigious venue of the Chancery Palace in Rome. In July 2016, some of his works are shown in the collective exhibition of the Italian collection at the MACS (Sicilian contemporary art museum), Catania.
At present, he collaborates with various galleries in Emilia, Veneto and Liguria in Italy, as well as Belgium and Switzerland.
