FRANCESCO VEZZOLI
b. 1971, ItalyFrancesco Vezzoli uses the painstaking technique of embroidery to combine symbols of mass media with the heterogeneous cultural references of his childhood. Vezzoli came to the international art scene in the 90s with his celebrity saturated videos. Casting Courtney Love, Helen Mirren, and Bianca Jagger amongst others in his satirical remakes of advertising campaigns, the artist spotlighted the increasingly fraught economics of contemporary art and everyday life. His embroidered works, referencing the domestic lives of women and their social millieu, indulge Vezzoli's penchant for glamour, nostalgia and intelligent tragicomic clashes of high and low brow. Vezzoli remarks “we live in a very baroque and surreal moment, despite the fact that we're aiming to be correct and moderate.”
In 2009 spectacle, consumerism, and art met again when Vezzoli staged a fake fragrance launch at Gagosian Gallery, complete with a manufactured bottle, a series of embroideries of famous female artists, and a commercial starring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams and directed by Roman Polanski. His A-list collaborations have been featured in solo exhibitions of the artist at the Centre d'Art Contemporain in Ginevra (1999), Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea (2002), New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York (2002), Fondazione Prada in Milan (2004), Tate Modern in London (2006), and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (2007). His work has also been included in major group exhibitions like the Istanbul Bienali (1999), Liverpool Biennial (2002), São Paulo Bienal (2004), Venice Biennale (2005 and 2007), Whitney Biennial (2006), and Performa 07. He currently lives and works in Milan.
Explore Francesco Vezzoli's Exhibitions
Explore and Follow Artists Shaping Contemporary Art
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services