Introduction
Roberto Bernardi (born 1974 in Todi, Italy) is an artist based in Todi. He is represented by Bernarducci Meisel Gallery in New York City. Recently, he has had a solo exhibition at the Hermitage Museum. Bernardi is a Photorealist painter who explores reflections in still lifes of plates and kitchens, glass, and candy.
Biography
In 1993 upon graduating high school, he moved to Rome where he worked as a restorer in the church of San Francesco a Ripa. In 1994 he decided to dedicate himself full-time to the creation of his own paintings and after an initial foray with landscapes and portraits, Bernardi starting concentrating on contemporary still life and turned towards a totally new kind of realism closely associated to photorealism. In September 1994 Bernardi had his first solo exhibition. Since 1997 his works have been included in numerous solo and group survey exhibitions in Europe and the United States including the Arnot Art Museum (USA), New Britain Museum of American Art (USA), Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (USA), Hermitage Museum (USA), Selby Gallery al Ringling College of Art and Design (USA), National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta, Musei Capitolini (Italia), Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery (New York CityA.).
Numerous articles, reviews and publications have been written about Bernardi in daily newspaper and magazines of which: The Huffington Post, Il Sole 24 Ore, The New York Observer, American Art Collector, Art & Antiques, Vogue Magazine (Korea), Rh + Art Magazine, DDN Cucine Magazine, ecc.
In 2010 Eni, the Italian multinational oil and gas company, currently Italy's largest industrial company, added Bernardi to the group of young talent from across the world who work to interpret in a unique way each moment of Eni's communication and commissioned Bernardi to do a painting to be added to their prestigious art collections.
Solo exhibitions
- New Candy Paintings, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2014,U.S.A.)
- Caramelle, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2012, U.S.A.)
- Candy Paintings, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2011, U.S.A.)
- Beijing, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2009, U.S.A.)
- Glass FX, Art of Glass 2, The Hermitage Museum and Gardens, Norfolk, VA (2009, U.S.A.)
- Dirty Plates, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2007, U.S.A.)
- Giardini di Cristallo, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2005, U.S.A.)
- Spazi Infiniti, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York (2004, U.S.A.)
- Towards a New Realism, Albermarle Gallery, Londra (2003, U.K.)
- Robert Kidd Gallery, Detroit, MI (2002, U.S.A.)
- L'espressione dei sogni, Galerie De Castiglione, Parigi (2000, France)
- Umbria Jazz, Perugia (1995, Italy)
- Todi Festival, Todi (1994, Italy)
- Artdaily.org, 9 November 2014, "New Paintings By Roberto Bernardi and Raphaella Spence at Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery"
- New painting by Roberto Bernardi and new cityscapes by Raphaella Spence, Artdaily.org 18 October
- American Art Collector, Seeking complexity, pag 106–107, October 2012
- Beijing Project, Paintings of the People's Republic of China, B.M.G Edizioni 2009, New York (USA)
- R. Bernardi, Giardini di cristallo, Seeing more than the camera sees by Edward Lucie-Smith, B.M.G Edizions 2005, New York (USA)
- R. Bernardi, Spazi Infiniti, by Jane S. Monti B.M.G Edizions 2004, New York (USA)
- R. Bernardi, Towards a new realism by Edward Lucie-Smith, Albemarle Gallery Edizions 2003, Londra (Inghilterra)
- R. Bernardi, L'espressione dei Sogni by M.Cesarini, Galerie M.F.F Edizions 2000, Parigi (Francia)
Selected group exhibitions
2014
Painted Illusions: Hyperrealism 1967–2012, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain
Photorealism: The Sydney and Walfa Besthoff Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans (U.S.A.)
Photorealism, The Everyday Illuminated, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (U.S.A.),
2013
Hyperrealism 1967–2012, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain
Hyperrealism 1967–2012, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, England
Photorealism Revisited, OKCMOA – Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, USA
2012
Hyperrealism 1967–2012, Kunsthalle Tübingen Museum, Tübingen, Germany
Hyperrealism, Galerie Sho Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
Photorealism, Galerie De Bellefeuille, Montreal, Canada
All In, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
2011
Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation at MANA Art Center, Jersey City, NJ, USA
Real: Realism and Diverse Media, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA, USA
Stand Still, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
What kind of real ?, Albemarle Gallery, London, England
2010
Real(ists), Selby Gallery – Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, USA
Sweet tooth, Scott Richards Contemporary Art, San Francisco, USA
Expansion, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
2009
Photorealist paintings, Arthur M. Berger Gallery, Manhattanville College, New York City
40 Years of photorealism, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York City
Small Paintings from Around the World, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
2008
Unforeseen Reflections, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
SPF 20 – Shades of Summer, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
2007
Arte Contemporanea per I Rifugiati, Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Culinary Arts, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
Group Show, Albemarle Gallery, London England
2006
Contemporary Realism 2006, M.A. Doran Gallery, Tusla, OK, USA
Winter Reflections, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
10th Anniversary, Albemarle Gallery, London, England
2005
Cars and Ketchup: Photorealist Images of the American Landscape, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Re-presenting Realism VII, Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY, USA
New Photorealists, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, USA
What is Realism?, Albemarle Gallery, London, England
Winter in Blue, Bernarducci.Meisel.Gallery, New York City
2004
Seeing is Believing: American Trompe L’oeil, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT, USA
New American Realism, Tony Brunelli Fine Art, Binghamton, NY, USA
New Photorealists, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York City
Blow Up, St. Paul’s Gallery, Birmingham, England
Summer show, Albemarle Gallery, London, England
2003
Painting Glass, Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, New York City
2002
Paisley Tyler & Co.,Albemarle Gallery, London, England
2001
Group show, Robert Kidd Gallery, Detroit, MI, USA
2000
Group show, Albemarle Gallery, London, England
1997
Gli Europeisti a Malta, National Museum of Fine Arts, La Valletta, Malta