Giuseppe (Pippo - Pino) Altomare lives in Sicily; he was born in Nicosia on April 8, 1958.
He attended the State Art Institute and the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania.
Drawn to American artistic phenomena, he spent three months in New York in 1977, where he visited art galleries and museums and witnessed the emerging phenomenon of graffiti art. During a subsequent trip to Miami, Florida, a few years later, he gained deeper insight into commercial strategies for selling artworks and designing exhibition spaces.
After gaining four years of experience in painting restoration with the Angelo Cristaudo firm in Acireale, he moved to Rome in 1986 with the assistance of Michele Cossyro. In the capital, he worked for nearly a decade as both a secretary and an artist at the Galleria d’Arte dei Banchi Nuovi, where Filiberto Menna served as Artistic Director. There, he met and associated with many of the most important Italian and international artists and art critics, sharing professional experiences that broadened his knowledge of painting, sculpture, and creative practice. He established strong professional relationships with figures such as Giulio Turcato, Carla Accardi, Pietro Consagra, Giuseppe Uncini, Achille Pace, Elio Marchegiani, Piero Gilardi, Salvatore Emblema, Lorenzo Guerrini, Palma Bucarelli, Giulio Carlo Argan, Francesco Moschini, Enrico Crispolti, and Arnaldo Romani Brizzi. Additionally, he collaborated on the installation of several exhibitions in public spaces in Rome curated by Achille Bonito Oliva. Throughout his experimental practice, he has explored sculpture and performance art with highly compelling results. His primary focus, however, is painting; here, he imbues the surface with a sense of pulse through formal elements—sometimes drawn from the natural world, often from the realm of fantasy—that emerge to assert themselves upon the canvas or paper as authentic presences.
In 1989, he was invited by Luciano Caramel and Sandra Orienti to hold a solo exhibition within the group show "Radici, Dal Sud, Del Sud: Quindici Artisti Giovani" (Michetti Prize) in Francavilla al Mare (Chieti). That same year, Massimo Bignardi selected two of his works for the 34th National Contemporary Art Exhibition in Termoli (Campobasso); one of these pieces was subsequently acquired by the Civic Gallery (now MACTE – Museum of Contemporary Art of Termoli). He also exhibited at the same gallery in 1991 as part of the "Esaedro" exhibition, curated by Giorgio Di Genova.
In 1990, he participated in the exhibition "Young Artists in Rome", organized by the Municipality of Rome in the spacious halls of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni.
In 1991, the "Bienale Heksagonala" exhibition—curated by Enzo Santese at the Kulturni Center Srečko Kosovel in Sežana, Slovenia—marked the beginning of an intensive schedule of international exhibitions. This journey led him to spend extended periods in numerous countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Jordan, England, Lebanon, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania, Syria, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Hungary, North Macedonia, Serbia, Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Montenegro, Georgia, and Taiwan. In 2003, he exhibited his work alongside Evstati Marinov—whom he had met at an art event in Budapest—at the Sredets Hall in Sofia. Bisera Yosifova, the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, personally invited him to participate in the "The Palace" Painting Symposium in Balchik, a Bulgarian city on the Black Sea.
In 2010, after purchasing several of his pieces, the collector Serafino Fiocchi invited him to the exhibition "Aspetti di Arte Astratta nella Raccolta Fiocchi" ("Aspects of Abstract Art in the Fiocchi Collection"), curated by Armando Ginesi and held in the beautiful halls of the Forte Malatesta in Ascoli Piceno.
Some of his works were featured in the television commercial for "Mito," a beverage aimed at young people.
He has created cover art for various essays, novels, and publications, including: Enzo Santese, "Il vino specchio per l’uomo" (Edited Andrea Moro, Tolmezzo/Udine, 1999); Francesco Paolo Pinello, "Io sono una libellula…" (Bastogi Editrice Italiana, Foggia, 2009; in collaboration with Filippo Altomare); and cover art for the July 2020 issue of "Amicando Semper" (an art and culture monthly edited by Enzo Santese) and the October 2020 issue of "Italia Imballaggio" magazine (recommended by Luigi Polillo). Additionally, he has collaborated on the creation of art multiples and objects with Telecampione S.p.A., Arte y Naturaleza (Madrid), and Progetti Italiani (London).
Numerous museums, public collections, and sites of interest have acquired his work, including: the Collection of the School of Specialization in Historical-Artistic Heritage at the University of Siena; and the Bjerringbro Idræts- & Kulturcenter (Denmark). MACTE Museum of Contemporary Art, Termoli (Campobasso); MAAM Museum of the Other and the Elsewhere of Metropoliz, Rome; Castello di Piovera (Alessandria); Tavola di Migliandolo, Portacomaro (Asti); Center for Contemporary Art, Rocca di Umbertide (Perugia); MAON (Museum of 19th and 20th Century Art), Rende (Cosenza); MARTE Museum, S. Pietro a Maida (Catanzaro); and the Valamar hotel group in Croatia and Paradores in Spain.
He has taught at the Academies of Fine Arts in Carrara, Florence, Lecce, Rome, and Sassari, and since 2013, he has been teaching Decoration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania.
In 2016, 2018, and 2019, he was invited to China to deliver a series of lectures at Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu and Sichuan University of Science & Engineering in Zigong.
In 2017, Black Wolf Edition & Publishing Ltd. (Scotland) featured him in the series "The Art in Monography: Italian Painters" with a dedicated volume ("Pippo Altomare", Vol. 4, 226 pages).
In January 2019, as part of the "Atelier Project" curated by Giorgio De Finis, he spent a week creating paintings live at MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome). That same year, he prepared a series of works on paper for solo exhibitions at Spazio 121 (Perugia) and the Kulturni Centar Laza Kostić (Sombor, Serbia). He held two further solo exhibitions in Serbia: at the Likovni Salon KCNS in Novi Sad (2020) and the Cultural Center of Paraćin (2021). In 2022, his fourth solo exhibition in Serbia was held at the Galerija Centra za Kulturu Masuka in Velika Plana. In Milan, he participated in the "Decoration and Contemporary Education" symposium organized by the Decoration Department of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. His paper, along with others, was published in a collection of essays by Silvana Editoriale titled "Decorazione Contemporanea tra Ricerca e Didattica" (Contemporary Decoration: Between Research and Education).
Between 2019 and 2020, he took part in a series of group exhibitions titled "AlphaBeta" (held at the Jus Museum in Naples, Arte Incontro Artivisive in Spoleto, and the Alessandro Vitiello Home Gallery in Rome), conceived and curated by Francesco Gallo Mazzeo.
In late July 2021, he traveled to Piedmont, where he painted a large panel (124 x 400 cm) inside the Church of San Martino in Asti. That same week, during a classical music concert at the Castle of Piovera (Alessandria), he created a large canvas live; in the following days, he completed additional works destined for the collection of Count Niccolò Calvi di Bergolo.
In 2022, he participated in a major exhibition titled "Architettura del Simbolo" (Architecture of the Symbol)—curated by Massimo Bignardi and sponsored by Claudio Mogliotti—held at the Church of San Martino in Asti. In 2023, his work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Baglio Tramontana in Gangi (Palermo) and in group exhibitions in Lugano (Switzerland), Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Austria, Hungary, and the Church of San Silveiro in Viarigi (Asti). His 2024 schedule includes numerous exhibitions, notably a two-person show with Federica Ricca at the Spazio Vitale Arte Contemporanea in Aversa (Caserta). For a couple of years, he served as the artistic director for various artist residencies in Piedmont, Sicily, and Romania. He concludes 2024 by exhibiting at the Yun-Fei-Fan Museum in Tainan (Taiwan). 2025 begins with a residency and a group exhibition (alongside, among others, Federica Ricca) in Ozurgeti (Georgia), followed by a two-person exhibition—again with Federica Ricca—at the Exhibition Hall of the Centro Studi Plautini in Sarsina (Forlì-Cesena), featuring a catalogue essay by Vittorio Spampinato. 2025 continues with participation in various artist residencies in Serbia, Hungary, and Poland. In Hungary, at the conclusion of the International Colony of Artists of Hajdúsági in Hajdúböszörmény, he is awarded the prestigious Hajdúsági Nemzetközi Művésztelep Káplár Miklós Prize. His exhibition schedule proceeds at LortzingART in Hannover (Germany); the Civic Archaeological Museum of Sabina Teverina in Fara in Sabina (Rome); the Painting and Sculpture Museum in Izmir (Turkey); the Rocca di Umbertide – Center for Contemporary Art (Perugia); the Messina Biennale (Chamber of Commerce Hall); and the Rocca Colonna in Castelnuovo di Porto (Rome). 2026 opens with "Trame fluttuanti" ("Floating Weaves"), a major two-person exhibition by Altomare and Ricca hosted at the ASP "ITIS" Service Center in Trieste and curated by Enzo Santese. 2026 continues with active participation in various exhibitions in Italy and abroad, including "Crystalline Symbiosis" by Altomare and Ricca at the Glass Museum in Piegaro (Perugia) and "A másik Metamorfózis" ("The Other Metamorphosis") by Pippo Altomare & Federica Ricca at the Új Galéria in Debrecen (Hungary). Once again in 2026, he spent extended periods in Hungary, Slovenia, and Nova Siri (Basilicata), where he participated in various artist residencies. In the Hungarian town of Hajdúböszörmény, coinciding with his solo exhibition at the Hajdúsagi Galéria – SGMK, a substantial interview conducted by Bertalan Erzsébet was published in the periodical "Szabadhajdú". In August 2026, he directed the 3rd Artist Residency at the Castle of Sperlinga (Enna). In September, he participated in the Messina Biennale 2026 (ExpòArte dei Due Mari) at the Sacrario di Cristo Re in Messina; the exhibition "Oltre i Confini, Universo Francesco" at the Sala Cannoniera of the Rocca Paolina in Perugia (organized by Spazio 121 Arte); and the group exhibition "Echoes in the present, a legacy for the future" at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy (Great Mosque of Rome), curated by Ayman El-Semary, Monica Pirone, and Shereen Badr.
Writers who have discussed his work include: Paolo Giansiracusa, Lorenzo Mango, Mariano Apa, Enzo Santese, Patrizia Ferri, Teresa Macrì, Ada Lombardi, Sabine Brhel, Ludovico Pratesi, Sandra Orienti, Massimo Bignardi, Antonio Gasbarrini, Arnaldo Romani Brizzi, Emanuela Boille, Enrico Crispolti, Susanna Misiano, Giorgio Di Genova, Flavia Ruggeri, Ivana D’Agostino, Achille Pace, Franz Kröger, Beatrix Nobis, Gabriella De Marco, Anamarija Stibilj, Judita Krivec Dragan, Cristiana Perrella, Emilia Valenza, Katri Pulkkinen, Toto Cacciato, Mario Falessi, Maria D’Alesio, Nelida Nemec, Laura Caccia, Giuliana De Fazio, Akio Takemoto, Lisadora Valenza, Gianfranco Labrosciano, Nino Arrigo, Claudia Elisa Altomare, Tommaso Ariemma, Manuela Vannozzi, Carlo Andreoli, Luigi Polillo, Guido Buffoni, Francesco Paolo Pinello, Stefano Vespo, Rosario Pinto, Mino Iorio, Breznay András, Járdán-Bihari Ágnes, Pippo Cosenza, and Vittorio Spampinato.
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