Valerio Adami Italian, b. 1935

Valerio Adami (b. 1935 Bologna, Italy) is one of Italy’s most distinctive post-war painters, internationally recognised for his graphic, hard-edged style that merges bold line, flattened colour fields, and philosophical narrative. Emerging in the 1960s, Adami developed a highly personal visual language shaped by travels, literature, psychoanalysis, and political thought. His compositions, at once figurative and abstract—are constructed through fluid black outlines that delineate fragmented bodies, architectural forms, and symbolic objects. Often described as “narrative abstraction,” Adami’s work reflects on themes of identity, memory, sexuality, and the fragility of contemporary life, positioning him as a crucial voice within European painting after modernism.

The Mayor Gallery has been championing Adami’s work in the UK, presenting his paintings within the broader context of international Pop and post-war European art. The Mayor Gallery’s ongoing commitment to artists who shaped the cross-continental exchanges of the 1960s has ensured Adami’s inclusion in a more expansive narrative of global Pop, where his incisive line and intellectual depth continue to resonate.