Eugenio Carmi (Genoa, February 17, 1920 - Lugano, February 16, 2016) was one of the leading exponents of Italian Abstractionism since the early 1950s. Beginning with Informalism in the first two decades he then shifted to the rigor of Geometric Abstraction in the late sixties which he continued to develop over the following decades.
Most of his works are on canvas, but he also experimented with paper, iron, glass, tinplate, plastics and light. Of his kinetic works, SPCE, was invited to the 1966 Venice Biennale. From 1956 to 1965, he was Art Director of the Cornigliano/Italsider national steel industry. In 1963 he founded the Galleria del Deposito in Genoa, an artists cooperative for the creation of multiples. A member of Alliance Graphique International, he is considered an innovator of graphic design of the 1950s and 1960s. Over the decades, his painting was never merely a singular act. Always in connection with the world around him, he was a generous catalyst for other artists and intellectuals. He was an active presence in international conventions, conferences and classrooms.
From his friendship and collaboration with Umberto Eco, three children’s fables were created which are now published world-wide. During that same period, he realized Stripsody, a work that owes its uniqueness to the deep artistic and human harmony between him, Eco and Cathy Berberian. Over the decades he’s had numerous solo exhibits in Italy and abroad. His works are part of museum and institutional collections in Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Poland and the United States. He defined himself as a Maker of Images.