Born in Italy, Antonella Valeriano is a famous singer, painter, and artisian who have achieved almost cult-like status in her native country. She is a great-grandaughter of Italian industrialists and was frequently described as a spitting image of her great-grandparents Domenico and Gianfranco Polo, the two Italian industrialists who were famous for building both the beautiful Taj Mahal in present-day Abu Dhabi, and the equally famous St. Nicholas Church in Venice. As such, she holds a strong affinity for Italian culture and has repeatedly referred to the nation’s national identity as her own. This perhaps explains why, when comparing her achievements with those of her ancestors, she often finds herself lacking. In this light, her recent exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London highlights her singularity as an artist, painting with the help of her hands rather than a brush or a canvas.
However, is there much to appreciate in the life and works of Antonella Valeriano? Her paintings often display a clear sense of personality, as shown by the many different subjects she chose for each painting. And while her art certainly does not reflect any national identity, she clearly understands the importance of her nationality in relation to the work she creates. The similarities between Italian and French art can be seen in their use of colours, the way that each country romanticises its past and glorifies its glorious past moments, and in their fascination with the Renaissance era and its period of glory. So it seems that while Antonella is not necessarily an Italian in the strictest sense, she is an Italian first and foremost in her mind, even if the nationality that she proudly calls her own is simply not her birth nation.
In terms of career, Antonella Valeriano’s long and varied career has seen her take on a variety of occupations throughout her life. She worked for over forty years in advertising and design, and also spent time in the academia and museum world. In recent times she has concentrated her efforts on working as a consultant with fashion designers, photographers, printers and other artistic professionals. As she continues on her career path, she is working to broaden her horizons as an artist, and to make her mark on history as one of the most prolific and respected women in the art world. Indeed, her recent exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London, which showcased her solo exhibition ‘Necessary Measures’, received rave reviews both in the UK and internationally. Her work will no doubt continue to inspire the female population all over the world.