Claudio Cionini was born in Grosseto in 1978. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he began, in 2000, his exhibition activity. After his studies, his attention immediately turned to the industrial landscape, a reality that surrounds him in the city where he has always resided, Piombino.

He is attracted by the steel plants: the strong chiaroscuros and smoky atmospheres that surround blast furnaces and pipes.

In 2003 the exhibitions at Westbeth Arts Gallery in New York “Still Classical: Recent Works on Paper from Florentine Academies and Studios,” at ISB Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and at Palazzetto Cenci in Rome.

He participated, in 2007, in the Michetti Prize with two paintings depicting the industrial port of Piombino. Later, in November of the same year, he exhibited these works at the group exhibition “Nuovi pittori della realtà” at the P.A.C. in Milan.

In the same year, his first urban landscape studies were born after visiting Paris. Fascinated by its grand boulevards and boundless city views, he sensed the fundamental characteristic of his work: space, depth of perspective, and vanishing point.

His first major solo exhibition was in 2008, entitled “Places of Absence,” at the Archaeological Museum of Fiesole.

In 2009, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he participated in several celebrations in memory of the event. At the invitation of the Region of Tuscany and after several stays in Berlin, he creates a nucleus of works that will be part of the solo exhibition “The Shadow of the Wall” held at the rooms of the Regional Council of Tuscany in Palazzo Panciatichi in Florence. He also exhibits at the group shows “The Wall – Twenty years later almost like Dumas” at the Castle of Lari and “The Walls after Berlin” at Spazio Tadini in Milan.

He continues, even later, to portray the architecturally and culturally stimulating city of Berlin. Cionini’s painting becomes more material, he inserts new tones and new frames. Thus was born, in 2010, the solo exhibition “Glimpses of Truth” at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Arezzo.

In 2011 at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera he exhibited a series of works dedicated to the Piombino steel mills, a theme dear to him that he has never abandoned over the years, and a series of paintings depicting the world’s great metropolises, especially American ones, from New York to Los Angeles, and others, from Melbourne to Tokyo. The painter is fascinated by the idea of bringing these great cities together almost as if they were one boundless global metropolis. He uses, to create the works, images that come from the web and cinema: “global” communication tools par excellence. The exhibition is titled “RUST! Factory-City-Memory.”

It is in 2013 the exhibition at the Angelica Gallery in Rome “ISTANTI – Under the Skin of Images,” for which he makes some paintings dedicated to the eternal city; one of them, depicting Piazza del Popolo, was donated to the Senate of the Italian Republic.

In 2014 he exhibited in Sicily, at the Palermo gallery Lupo ‘Art, with an important solo show, and in November at Fornace Pasquinucci in Capraia Fiorentina.

In the spring of 2015 he exhibited in Pietrasanta, in the rooms of Palazzo Panichi, “Beyond the deserts : the visible cities” is the title of the solo exhibition that recalls the work of Italo Calvino.

In the summer of 2015, he participated in the creation of the book “Cibo Arte Vino Mare” edited by Elena Barsacchi, with recipes by chef Luciano Zazzeri, portraits by Oliviero Toscani, including Cionini’s, and a text by Vittorio Sgarbi. Cionini was selected for the 2017 Toscana Energia calendar.

In 2019, he exhibits at Florence University of the Art, the show is titled “Vision Beyond Form,” and Galleria La Fonderia in Florence hosts a solo exhibition of his work titled “Cities of the World.” A solo exhibition dedicated to the city of Palermo is held in October 2021, at Lupo’art Gallery, the title is “Dear Palermo….”

In May 2022, he donates a painting depicting Palermo to the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, thus becoming part of the Quirinale’s contemporary art collection.

Mostre personali / Personal exhibitions:

“Metropolis”, Ligera, Milano, 15 Novembre – 15 Dicembre 2007.

“ Luoghi dell’Assenza”, Fiesole, Museo Archeologico, Sala Costantini, 1 – 30 Marzo 2008.

“L’ ombra del Muro”, Firenze, Consigio Regionale della Toscana, 9-22 Novembre 2009.

“Scorci di verità”, Arezzo, Galleria Comunale d’Arte Contemporanea, 26 Marzo-2 Maggio 2010.

“RUST! Fabbrica-Città-Memoria”, Pontedera, Museo Piaggio, 24 Settembre-22 Ottobre 2011.

“Immgini di città”, Livorno, Galleria d’Arte Athena, 8-30 Giugno 2012.

“Urban art”, Forte dei Marmi, Galleria d’Arte Faustini, 16 Giugno-1 Luglio 2012.

“Istanti – Under the skin of images”, Roma, Galleria Angelica, 21 Settembre-3 Ottobre 2013.

Mostra personale presso Galleria Lupo’Art, Palermo,18 Ottobre – 15 Novembre 2014.

“Blues della grande città”, Capraia Fiorentina, Fornace Pasquinucci, 15-30 Novembre 2014.

“Oltre i deserti: le città visibili”, Pietrasanta, Palazzo Panichi, 11 Aprile – 3 Maggio 2015.

“Il tempo nelle città”, Pietrasanta, Galleria Lupo’ Art, 23 Luglio – 7 Agosto 2016.

“Il tempo nelle città”, Palermo, Galleria Lupo’ Art, 11 – 25 Ottobre 2016.

“Metropolis”, Firenze, Galleria La Fonderia, Luglio 2022

“Immaginare la realtà”, Certaldo, Palazzo Pretorio, Ottobre 2022/Febbraio 2023

Mostre collettive / Collective exhibitions:

“Giovani Carte Inquiete”, Firenze, Auditorium dell’Accademia Musicale di Firenze, 14 Marzo – 8 Aprile 2000.

“Figure”, Capraia Fiorentina, Fornace Pasquinucci, 12 – 27 Maggio 2001.

“Una facciata ottocentesca per la Casa Buonarroti”, Firenze, Casa Buonarroti, 26 Marzo – 6 Maggio 2002.

“Forme in Contaminazione”, Lastra a Signa (FI), Villa Caruso Bellosguardo, 6 – 21 luglio 2002.

“1° Concorso Città di Piombino”, Piombino (LI), Galleria Comunale, 15 Febbraio – 2 Marzo 2003.

“Still Classical: Recent Works on Paper from Florentine Academies and Studios”, New York, Westbeth Arts Gallery, 17 Maggio – 29 Giugno 2003.
Providence, ISB Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design, 25 Settembre – 16 Ottobre 2003.
Roma, Palazzetto Cenci, 31 Ottobre – 16 Novembre 2003.

“Mostra dei vincitori del 1° Concorso Città di Piombino”, Piombino (LI), Galleria Comunale, 30 Novembre – 11 Dicembre 2003.

“IV Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea”, Firenze, Fortezza da Basso, 6 – 14 Dcembre 2003.

“Mostra collettiva, Pittori e Scultori della Val di Cornia”, Piombino (LI), Galleria Comunale, 28 Febbraio – 10 Marzo 2004.

1° classificato sezione Pittura “7° Premio Nazionale CREATIVI UNDER 30”, Grosseto, Associazione Grossetana Arti Figurative, 26 Novembre – 4 Dicembre 2005.

1° classificato sezione giovani “Prima edizione CECINARTE”, Cecina, Polo Tecnologico Scientifico Magona, 27 Maggio – 18 Giugno 2006.

“58° Premio Michetti – Nuovi Realismi”, Francavilla al mare, Museo Michetti, 21 Luglio – 2 Settembre 2007.

“La Camicia dei Mille – Opere d’arte per Garibaldi nel bicentenario della nascita”, Firenze, Palazzo Cerretani, 28 Settembre – 30 Ottobre 2007.

“Nuovi Pittori della Realtà”, Milano, PAC, 12 Ottobre – 25 Novembre 2007.

“Orizzonti di Pittura – Dialogo fra voci diverse all’ alba del nuovo millennio”, Atelier d’ arte Coppi, Firenze, 5 – 23 Dicembre 2007.

“Vedo Quadro”, Santa Croce sull’ Arno, Villa Pacchiani, Marzo 2009.

“Il Muro – Vent’ anni dopo quasi come Dumas”, Lari, Castello dei Vicari, 8 Novembre – 8 Dicembre 2009.

“I muri dopo Berlino”, Milano, Spazio Tadini, 10 Novembre – 10 Dicembre 2009.

“Opere scelte, donazioni 2000 – 2010”, Arezzo, Galleria Comunale d’Arte Contemporanea, 2 Aprile – 1 Maggio 2011.

“Art Spring”, Fiesole, Galleria del Teatro Romano, Istituto Universitario Europeo, 15 Aprile – 5 Maggio 2011.

“Frammenti di realtà”, Marostica, Castello Inferiore, 16 Aprile – 1 Maggio 2016.