Leo Contini Lampronti

About

Born in Nice, 1939, to Italian parents from Ferrara: Nino (1906/1944), lawyer, anti-fascist, and zionist, detained and confined during WW2, liberated at the fall of the regime, became active in Italian reconstruction politics until he succumbed to an illness in Naples at 37, and Laura Lampronti (1912/1957), pianist and social worker, who also untimely died following negligent surgery, the day of her 45th anniversary. L.C.L. grew up and studied in Rome and Milan, where he got a degree in nuclear engineering. In 67 the family moved to Tel Aviv, with wife Marcella Mayer (Milan, 1939) and two children, Saul (Rome, 1966) and Rosa (Milan, 1967). Hava (Tel Aviv, 1969) is their third child. Worked for a few years in the industry, cultivating in the meantime drawing and art printing. In the 70’ies met Naftali Bezem, a prominent painter, and started to frequent his Tel Aviv studio and to consider switching from engineering to art. Subsequently, he gave up his job to devote himself uniquely to plastic art. During the following years, he attended painting and drawing classes, art printing, classic painting techniques, and fresco in various institutions and studios in Israel and abroad. An encounter with Pietro Maria Bardi, director of the Sao Paulo Museum of Arts (1982), was crucial for the confirmation of his decision. He started regularly having solo exhibitions wherever he lived: Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo, Ferrara, Milano, and Paris divorced in 88. In 88 he started to design and create innovative judaica objects. In 92 moved to Jaffa, where he lives and works until now. In 2001 married Anne Hovanessian (Paris, 1954). In the same year he introduced the “anasculpture”, a bi-perceptive mode of representation based on the information conveyed by lacunae (openings) and featuring a remarkable third-dimension rendering. In 2011 he added the name of the much regretted, beautiful and unlucky mother to his.

Leo Contini passed away in November 2020.

Reviews

Valeria Ottolenghi, Parma, 2013

Marc Sheps, Tel Aviv, 2010

Rossana Bossaglia, Milano, 2008

Alberto Milano, Milano, 2005

Xavier Bureau, Paris, 2000

Rossana Bossaglia, Milano, 99

Gianni Pre, Milano, 96

Rolando Bellini, Milano, 94

Mario De Micheli, Milano, 93

Paolo Levi, Torino, 93

Angelo Mistrangelo, Torino, 93

Alik Mishori, Tel Aviv, 88

Martine Haut, Strasbourg, 87

Adam Saulnier, Paris, 87

Raffi Lavie, Tel Aviv, 86

Nissim Mevorach, Tel Aviv, 86

Franco Farina, Ferrara, 85

J.Aelion, Tel Aviv, 85

Vittorio Sgarbi, Ferrara, 85

Rafi Lavy, Tel Aviv, 85

Guido Ludovico Luzzatto, Milano, 85

Reuven Ravenna, Tel Aviv, 85

Antonio Caggiano, Ferrara, 85

Pietro Maria Bardi, Sao Paulo, 83

Marco Miele, Tel Aviv, 73

Exhibitions

(Leo passed away in 2020. Hava, his daughter continues his legacy)

U. Nachon Museum of Italian Jewish Art, Jerusalem 2024 Retrospective of works on paper.

The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, °Violinone” one-piece permanent exhibition 2024

Tel Aviv Artist’s House 2024

Ferrara, Meis "Return to Ferrara. The Universe of Leo Contini Lampronti" 2023-2024

Open House, Public event in Leo’s house, Yafo 2023

Mazal Arye gallery, Old Jaffa, 2023

Beit Italia, Yafo, 2021

Tel Aviv Artist’s House Retrospective 2019

Zieff Towers, Tel Aviv collective exhibition 2016

Ami’ad Building, A mini-retospective within a collective exhibition, Yafo 2014

Yavneh Municipal Gallery (collective exhibition) 2014

Old Jaffa Outdoor Museum Anasculptural Installation of “Pincer” 2013
Artexpo, Old Jaffa (collective exhibition) 2013
Old Jaffa Outdoor Museum Anasculptural Installation of “Noli Me Tangere” 2013
IJAYA Ben Uri, London (collective exhibition) 2012
Ramat Gan Museum for Israeli Art (collective exhibition) “Parabolae” 2012
Tova Osman Gallery, Tel Aviv Window Installation 2012
Nordart, Budelsdorf (collective exhibition) 2011
Venice Biennale, at the Tel Aviv Italian Cult.Inst., for the 150 years of the Italian unity 2011
Tel Aviv, Gerstein Gallery 2011
Paris, Galerie Alternative 2009
Jaffa/Tel Avi v, Alternative Gallery 2007
Paris, Galerie Alternative 2006
Torino, Galleria Munari 2005
Jaffa/Tel Aviv, Alternative Gallery 2004
Milano, Galleria Marca d’Acqua 2002
Paris, Galerie Dumas Simart 2002
Paris, Galerie 21 2001
Mantova, Galleria Arcari 2001
Milano, Galleria Ciovasso 1999
Tel Aviv, Performing Arts Center 1998 Ra’ananna, Moffet Gallery 1997
Milano, Galleria Ciovasso 1996
Tel Aviv, Beith ha-Amanim, Tel Aviv 1994 Milano, Galleria Ciovasso 1994
Torino, Art Club Gallery 1993
The Gulf War, Beith ha-Amanim, Tel Aviv (collective exhibition) 1992
Haifa, Istituto Italiano di Cultura 1992
Tel Aviv City Hall, “A Few Lines from Tel Aviv” (Painting Installation) 1991
Milano, Palazzo del Turismo, the same (Painting Installation) 1991
Jerusalem, Museo di Arte Ebraica Italiana 1990
Jaffa /Tel Aviv, Horace Richter Gallery 1988
Peintres Israeliens, Troyes (collective exhibition) 1988
Boulogne/Billancourt, CCIBB Gallery 1987
Strasbourg, Galerie Argentorate 1987
Tel Aviv, Sara Kishon Gallery 1986
Ferrara, Galleria di Arte Moderna 1985
Sao Paulo, Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo 1983
Sao Paulo, Ha Hebraica 1982
Jaffa/Tel Aviv, Lily Albert Gallery 1973

Other collective exhibitions in the 80’es:
Jeune peinture, Grand Palais, Paris
Artistes Français, Grand Palais, Paris
Figuration Critique, Grand Palais, Paris
Mission Rencontres, Paris

Acknowledgments

Hava Contini

Daniela Contini

Isabelle Choko

Mira Churkin

Anne Contini

Saul Contini

Moshe Kedem

Bruno Modena

Romano Nannini

Jane Pariente

Francesco Pasquinelli

Pina Antognini

Piero Piperno

Emilio Quarestani

Irit Rabinowich

Sofia Rotenfeld

Ada Vera Viterbo

Jean Paul Zafran

Israel Zohar

Pietro Maria Bardi

Tuvia Beri

Naftali Bezem

Piero Cividalli

Eti Fabian

Astorre Mayer

Bona Shapira