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David VeneziaItalian artist
Date of Birth: 10.04.1965
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of David Venezia
Early Life and EducationDavid Venezia, also known as DDV, is an Italian artist who was born on April 10, 1965, in Cannes, France. Growing up in a family of artists, his father was not only a painter but also an experienced wood carver, frame maker, and restorer. In 1958, his father moved to Cannes and worked with renowned artists, collectors, and gallery owners on the French Riviera, including Picasso, Ozenfant, Sutherland, and Rezvani, Sir Douglas Cooper, as well as the Galerie Sapone in Nice and the Galerie Maeght in St-Paul-de-Vence. In 1973, David returned to Venice, where he lived and worked. His two sisters, Diana and Marina, also pursued careers in the art world, with Diana becoming a restorer of antique paintings and Marina becoming an artist and decorator.
Influences and Education
Growing up in Cannes and Venice, David was surrounded by stimuli and examples to emulate, learning to appreciate craftsmanship and experience as much as the poetics of art. After completing classical high school, with a focus on humanities, David studied art and philosophy at the University of Venice. The world around him and the popular culture of the 20th century shaped his vision. Book illustrations, comics, cartoons, classical mythology, psychoanalysis, Greek and contemporary philosophy all provided inspiration. In his youth, David was strongly influenced by surrealists such as Dalí, Magritte, De Chirico, and writer and philosopher Alberto Savinio. In the 1980s, David had the opportunity to visit the exhibition "Les Realismes: 1919-1939" at the Pompidou Center in Paris, which allowed him to understand the importance of learning from the great masters and continuing their tradition while staying connected to the world of contemporary art.
Artistic Career
In 1987, inspired by the history of folk art, the external decoration of ancient and modern buildings, frescoes, and the social painting movement in Italy and Mexico in the early 20th century, David decided to apply these theories in practice. Collaborating with Japanese artist Hiroshi Daikoku, he started creating large compositions on temporary wooden structures used to mark places where renovation work was taking place in Venice. The success of these paintings relied on instant, immediate, and spontaneous connection with the viewers, ordinary passersby. After a while, DDV's and Daikoku's work received wide critical and public acclaim. The project, which resulted in 12 paintings, continued until 1989.
In 1989, David had his first solo exhibition at the Bac Art Studio gallery in Venice. From 1990 to 1992, he lived and worked in Nice, participating in group exhibitions, including the 23rd Cagnes-sur-Mer International Painting Festival and the 4th International Contemporary Art Biennial, where he won the first prize for one of his paintings. In 1992, he returned to Venice to participate in the "Corale" exhibition and has since lived and worked there. Throughout the 1990s, DDV continued to exhibit in Italy and abroad, refining his unique style and painting technique. In 2005, he participated in the Norwegian exhibition "Kitsch Annual," organized by renowned Norwegian artist Odd Nerdrum.
Currently, David Venezia, along with his artist friends, works towards organizing exhibitions, hoping that society will reconsider its attitude towards figurative painting, which they believe has been unjustly ignored.
