La Nobiltà Dei Cavalli by Bruno Cassinari
L’atelier by Bruno Cassinari
La Finestra by Bruno Cassinari
Butchered Ox by Bruno Cassinari
Il Priore Di Garaveglia by Bruno Cassinari
La Madre by Bruno Cassinari

Where to See Bruno Cassinari

2 museums worldwide

About Bruno Cassinari

Italian · 1912–1992

Italian[1] post-war painter whose Mediterranean figurative work navigated between Picasso's influence and an independent pictorial voice.

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Bruno Cassinari's works are held in 2 museums worldwide.

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🇨🇦 Canada

1 museum

Also in Canadacollection of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (2)

🇺🇸 United States

1 museum

Also in United StatesBuffalo AKG Art Museum (1)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where can I see Bruno Cassinari's work?
    Bruno Cassinari's paintings and sculptures are held in numerous public collections. These include museums in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. In Italy, his work can be found in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Milan, which holds examples of his paintings from different periods. The Museo del Novecento, also in Milan, has paintings and graphic works. Other Italian[1] museums with Cassinari works include the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Outside Italy, Cassinari's art has been acquired by museums in several countries. The Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris holds paintings by Cassinari. Examples of his work are also in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Public collections in Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom also possess pieces by this artist. Major auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's also handle Cassinari's work, so seeing pieces in their sales is also possible.
  • What should I know about Bruno Cassinari's prints?
    Bruno Cassinari (1907-1992[1]) was an Italian[1] artist associated with the mid-20th century Milanese art scene. While primarily a painter, he also produced prints. Cassinari's prints are less well documented than his paintings, but they share similar themes and styles. He is known for a semi-abstract style, often incorporating elements of Cubism and Expressionism. His prints, like his paintings, often feature bold colours and simplified forms. Common subjects include figures, still lifes, and scenes inspired by the Italian countryside. Because information about Cassinari's printmaking is scarce, it is difficult to identify specific print series or techniques he favoured. Auction records and gallery catalogues are useful resources for identifying and authenticating Cassinari's prints. These sources may provide details about edition sizes, printing methods (such as lithography or etching), and paper types.
  • Why are Bruno Cassinari's works important today?
    Bruno Cassinari (1907-1992[1]) was an Italian[1] artist associated with several important movements. After an early period influenced by Expressionism, he engaged with the Corrente movement in the late 1930s, which opposed the official art of the Fascist regime. After the Second World War, Cassinari moved towards a lyrical abstraction, incorporating elements of Cubism and Fauvism. His work from this period often features bright colours and simplified forms, evoking Mediterranean scenes and still lifes. Although Cassinari is not as well known as some of his contemporaries, his work is important for several reasons. He provides a link between pre-war Italian art and the post-war avant-garde. His experimentation with different styles reflects the artistic ferment of the period. His paintings offer a personal vision that synthesises aspects of both figurative and abstract art. Cassinari's place in Italian art history is assured by his contribution to the Corrente movement and his subsequent development as an abstract painter.
  • What techniques or materials did Bruno Cassinari use?
    Bruno Cassinari was an Italian[1] artist known for his work in painting and sculpture. He explored various techniques and materials throughout his career. As a painter, Cassinari primarily used oil paints on canvas. His application of paint involved mixing standard artist's oil colours with a medium of wax and turpentine. The wax medium was kept warm on a hot plate and mixed with the paint by brush immediately before applying colour to the canvas. The mixture was applied to the canvas with a brush and worked over so the medium and paint were thoroughly mixed and evenly covered the shape. The paint was then worked with a large painting spatula and a small painting knife until it arrived at a satisfactory state. He also worked with techniques such as scratching or displacement of the paint with the butt-end of the paintbrush, through which the brighter preparation was partially revealed and light effects created. Cassinari also created colour through loosely applied fine dabs, in no way covering the light-coloured preparation.
  • Who did Bruno Cassinari influence?
    Bruno Cassinari (1912[1]-1992[1]) was an Italian[1] artist associated with both the Milanese branch of the Corrente movement and later, with European Informalism. Identifying specific artists who were directly influenced by Cassinari is difficult. His career developed alongside several major artistic trends, and his style incorporated elements of Cubism, Expressionism, and abstraction. Cassinari's work, particularly his gestural painting style and focus on colour, may have resonated with other artists working in the Informal style. This movement, which valued spontaneity and personal expression, included figures like Alberto Burri and Emilio Vedova. However, any influence would likely have been part of a broader exchange of ideas within that artistic milieu. It is more accurate to consider Cassinari as part of a network of artists who mutually informed each other's practices during a period of significant artistic change in Europe. His participation in groups and exhibitions would have placed him in contact with many artists exploring similar approaches to form and content.
  • Who influenced Bruno Cassinari?
    Bruno Cassinari's artistic development involved several influences. Matti Moreni, an expressionist painter, encouraged Cassinari to pursue art. Cassinari met Moreni in Turin, a city with an active art scene, and joined the Galleria d'Arte La Bussola. Cassinari was also familiar with world literature. As a boy, he read Kafka, and later encountered Cesare Pavese and Elio Vittorini, both anti-Fascist writers. His mother introduced him to Kafka, reflecting her broader cultural interests. During the Fascist era, Cassinari was exposed to German Expressionism through quasi-clandestine publishers. After 1945[1], he discovered previously unknown authors and a different world through cinema, including American films and Italian[1] neorealism. Although he lived in a provincial town without many art exhibitions, he learned about contemporary art through reviews. He cited Giorgio Morandi as an important early influence.
  • What is Bruno Cassinari's most famous work?
    Among Bruno Cassinari's important paintings is *Card Players*, an acrylic on canvas. It measures 167 by 187 centimetres. The painting depicts two girls playing cards in a meadow, which evokes the Garden of Eden. In the background is a city at dusk, with lighted windows. Cassinari often combined disparate elements from different periods and cultures. He merged them within the chromatic atmosphere of the scene, which acts as an archetypical background. Mysterious allegories appear with dreamlike connotations, sometimes like a rebus. Ordinary objects from daily life, such as packs of cards, compasses, or spectacles, are placed side by side with mythological and symbolic depictions, or natural elements such as flowers, plants, or rocks, often set in Mediterranean settings. Cassinari also produced series of bronze and terracotta sculptures, such as the "Architectural Bronzes" (1959[1]), "The Beds" (1961-1962[1]), and "Beaches" (1967-1972).
  • What style or movement did Bruno Cassinari belong to?
    Bruno Cassinari (1912[1]-1992[1]) was an Italian[1] artist associated with several movements during his career. Initially, he was linked to the anti-fascist Corrente group in Milan during the late 1930s. This group, which included artists and intellectuals, opposed the official art of the regime. After the Second World War, Cassinari's style moved towards a lyrical form of abstract art. He became associated with artists who sought to express emotions and inner states through non-representational forms. Later in his career, Cassinari's work incorporated elements of Expressionism. His paintings often featured bold colours and gestural brushstrokes, conveying a sense of energy. While his work evolved over time, Cassinari remained committed to exploring the expressive potential of colour and form. He engaged with various artistic tendencies, making him a versatile figure in 20th-century Italian art.

Sources

Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of Bruno Cassinari's works across the following collections.

  1. [1] wikipedia Wikipedia: Bruno Cassinari Used for: biography.
  2. [2] book guggenheim-metph00cela Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
  3. [3] book Braun, Emily, 1957-; Asor Rosa, Alberto; Royal Academy of Arts (Great Britain), Italian art in the 20th century : painting and sculpture, 1900-1988 Used for: biography.
  4. [4] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-18. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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