Italian Treasures is the exclusive NFT series curated by internationally renowned Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi in collaboration with Apeiron Technologies. Every volume features NFTs of an influential Italian artist selected by Vittorio Sgarbi, allowing buyers to discover Italian art like never before.
“New Caravaggeschi,” the second in this series, is dedicated to and features seven works by the recently deceased Italian artist Luciano Ventrone, also known as “The Master.” Ventrone is considered by art critics and historians to be “the Caravaggio of the twentieth century.”
Born in 1942, Luciano Ventrone lived and worked in his native Italy until his death in 2021. His paintings are works of masterful skill, though Ventrone did not consider himself a realist painter in the traditional sense. Instead, he considered his work to be about color and light.
He painted real objects but the objects depicted are transported into a hyperreal context. What we see in a Ventrone painting is not “real” because it is not what we would see were we to look with the naked eye — we see more.
Ventrone’s works show us things more fully and more clearly than they appear to us in reality; everything is in focus, and everything can be scrutinized. The paintings allow us to notice every blemish and admire every curve of flesh in a piece of fruit or on a naked female form.
Set against monochromatic backgrounds of white, grey or black, the subject is lit from multiple angles, allowing for a full and objective appraisal of what we behold. In his capturing of a moment, an interlude of stillness and calm, the artist revealed the tension between the real and unreal and our wish to make tangible that which eludes us.
About Vittorio Sgarbi
Vittorio Sgarbi is a famous Italian art critic and historian. He is a prolific author and some of his books, though quite expensive, have become bestsellers.
His knowledge of classical art is so extensive that even those who hate his tendency to cross the threshold of verbal decorum admire it. He has remarkable skills as a public speaker and can talk ad-lib for hours on end about practically any painter, from Giotto to Picasso. His conferences are usually packed with people, and his television appearances always attract a great deal of interest.
About Apeiron
Apeiron Technologies is managed by Francesco Biacchi and Alessandro Tentoni, with partners Eros Alfani and Andrea Costella. The company was set up to offer consultancy and innovative solutions linked to blockchain technology with partners and projects of excellence. The company has strong ties to the sports sector, having launched Franco Baresi’s official NFT collection, and the art sector, having partnered up with Vittorio Sgarbi, one of Italy’s most prominent art critics.
The Drop — October 22, 2022
Stupore
2017-2021, oil on mixed media on linen
Last Chance
2013-2014, oil on mixed media on linen
Illusioni su misure
2021, oil on mixed media on line
Senza titolo / Untitled [Cellule 4]
1964, Oil on masonite
Senza titolo / Untitled [Sezione cervello]
1965, oil on mixed media on linen
Senza titolo / Untitled
1970, Oil on canvas
I racconti del vento
2006, oil on mixed media on linen
