Felice Varini

Born in Locarno, Switzerland, in 1952. Lives and works in Paris, France.

Celebrated as one of the pioneers in the study of geometry and colour, Felice Varini is known for perspective-localised spatial paintings created on architectural and urban spaces – such as streets, building and public monuments – across the world.

Since the 1970s, Varini has worked with themes of representation and the viewer’s perception. His work establishes a permanent dialogue between the site of its creation and its perception. According to the artist, “The painted form is coherent when the spectator stands in a given place. When the individual shifts from that point of view, the work enters the space, which gives rise to an infinite number of perspectives of the form. While I establish a special relationship with architectural characteristics that influence the form of the installation, my work nonetheless retains its independence irrespective of the architectures I encounter. I start with a real situation to construct my painting.”

Varini’s artworks, often composed of simple geometric shapes, are intended to be seen both as fragments and as a whole as the comprehension of his works can be altered according to the viewers’ point of view. Playing with both simple geometric forms and colors, the artist’s work inhabits and coexists with the space it is set in, to give his paintings a spectacular tridimensional effect.

Varini has presented works in major museums and public spaces around the globe, such as Zaha Hadid’s DDP building in Seoul, South Korea (2024), the Carcassone Castle, France (2018), the Grand Palais in Paris, France (2013), Cardiff Bay Barrage, Wales (2007), the Osaka Art Kaleidoscope, Osaka, Japan (2007), Chateau of Versailles, France (2006), among many others.