Established French artist creating grand figural compositions and large-scale cityscapes of New York, Paris and Rome
Patrick Pietropoli was born in Paris and studied at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. In 1975 Patrick passed CAPES French national exam in History to become a history professor and later received a master's degree in Ancient History from François Rabelais University in Paris. Patrick began exhibiting his paintings in France in 1983 and due to his rapid success gave up teaching in 1986 to fully devote himself to sculpture and painting.
Patrick developed his passion for painting from an early age. In his childhood Patrick spent many days at his grandparents’ house drawing for hours at a time and fondly remembers visiting art galleries with his grandfather in Paris, specifically recalling being 5 years old and marvelling at a city façade painting by Italian artist Girogio de Chirico. The main exhibitions he visited at the Grand Palais in Paris were also particularly inspiring - able to behold the great works of the Venetian masters, Rembrandt, and Leonardo Da Vinci in person, he became convinced that art held a unique emotional power.
His early works were influenced by ‘pittura colta’ movement. His first solo exhibition in 1983 at Gallery Verododa in Paris featured paintings based on sketches of the Annunciation's depiction in Florentine churches of Italy. Between 1986-89 Patrick Pietropoli created a monumental sculpture, commissioned by the Mutuality of Pas-de-Calais, Paris, France. During the period 1998-2001 he exhibited small scale mid-relief sculpture at Art Paris and SAGA art fair in Paris, France.
By the end of 1900s Patrick Pietropoli became inspired by the Venetian old masters of 18th century. With his meticulous attention to detail, Pietropoli was said to join ‘vedutisti’ in his quest to depict timeless urban landscapes. In his own words he ‘refused the picturesque nature of street scenes, choosing to portray urban landscapes akin to the teeming, gaily coloured world of the paintings of Canaletto or Guardi'.
The artist's canvases favour line over colour while representing objects from the history of Art, architecture, cityscapes with or without figures, female figures. The ancient Greek myths are like a permanent “lietmotiv” in his work. Jean-Pierre Delarge commented how Pietropoli's "taste for antiquity asserts large paintings" and he "finds the pallet and the Corot format for views of Rome or Venice, empty of any living being, which increases the desired distance from the ocher colour blur, this time under a golden sky".
In 2000 Musée national de la Marine, Place de la Concorde in Paris acquired two of his paintings for their permanent collection.
Since 2001, Patrick Pietropoli's work has been shown throughout United States in solo and group shows, as well as international art fairs including Art Miami New York, Art Southampton, Art Hamptons and Palm Beach Art Fair. At the same time he continues to exhibit in his native France and across Europe being represented by Galerie Felli, Galerie Claudine Legrand and Galerie CGB. Having spent most of his life in Paris, Patrick relocated to New York in January 2008.
