Gino Gregori was born in Milan, Italy, in 1906, the grandson of the painter Martin Kroller, and early on took to painting with tremendous dedication, in the words of Claude Riviere “Gregori was born with a paintbrush in his hand”. Gregori’s talent quickly began to attract attention, winning the Antonio Award in 1931, the Arte Sacra prize in 1932 and the Modiglianni Prize for drawing, he soon participated in various National and International exhibitions. However during the war in 1943 fate threw a savage blow and Gregori was deported to Mauthausen where he was kept for three years. When eventually he was freed Gregori found his way to Paris in 1946 in search of art and liberty.
Arriving in Paris Gregori established residence in Montparnasse, and befriended Matisse, Braque, and most importantly Jacques Villon, who invited him to join the Puteaux Group, a group of young radical abstract painters, that included André Lhote, Christine Boumeester, Camille Bryen and Reynold Arnould. In this environment Gregori moved on from his figurative expressionism of the 30’s, developing a very personal style of abstraction for which he became highly renowned, typically using large areas of soft colour, boldly defined within sinuous sweeping lines. Incorporating figurative elements into his abstract idiom, he creates intriguing paradoxical compositions, the elegant forms float seductively in a natural and yet indefinable space.
A modest man whose commitment to painting was unquestionable, he exhibited at the great avant-garde salons: the Salon de Mai, 53, 54, and 59; the Salon d’Automne, 47-54; and took part in the important École de Paris exhibitions at the Galerie Charpentier, 56-57; aswell as holding shows at the Galerie Bernheim and Galerie Hoche.
Gregori first achieved international acclaim during the 1950’s, not least in Italy where, having painted a monumental fresco for Pagani in Legano, he was selected to exhibit at the International Venice Bienniale of 1956. He also exhibited at the Rome Quadrenniale, 55-65; and participated in an important show at the National Museum of Luxembourg with Severini and Magnelli. Gregori has furthermore had numerous one-man shows in Paris and abroad, including America. In 1969 he was appointed President of the Association of Italian Painters and Sculptors in France.
In 1991 the city of Milan organised a comprehensive retrospective of his work at the Museum of Fine Art. The success of this show has deservedly brought the artist renewed acclaim.
The artist’s work is represented in numerous public collections in France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Uk, Egypt, Germany, Switzerland, USA.