London – On October 12 at 6:30 PM, the Italian Cultural Institute in London will open "Arturo Di Stefano. Italian Paintings," an exhibition celebrating the lasting bond between British painter Arturo Di Stefano and Italy. The show is inspired by the memories, places, and encounters that shaped his artistic vision.
Born in Yorkshire in 1955 to Italian parents who moved to the UK for work, Di Stefano studied in Liverpool and London before spending a year living and work-ing in Turin on a scholarship from the Italian government. He later credited that year in Turin with making him the painter he is today.
Di Stefano's ties to Italy are deeply intellectual. His choice of Turin was influenced as much by the city’s literary figures - he painted portraits of Cesare Pavese and Primo Levi - as by its porticos, monuments, and art. The Turin Shroud has also served as a constant source of inspiration for him: a foundational image of portrai-ture, the trace of a real person, and the likeness of Christ himself.
Cultural figures form a broader motif across his work, including the London homes where poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, as well as painter Vincent van Gogh, briefly lived. Alongside historic places, he paints portraits of friends and fel-low creatives, such as philosopher Yehuda Safran, graphic design historian Richard Hollis, and painter Tony Eyton.
While Di Stefano's choice of Italian subjects might seem eclectic at first glance, these images clearly carry a poetry and personal history central to his vision. Villa San Giovanni (2003) depicts the port where his father embarked after WWII on the long journey toward a new life in northern England. Other subjects appear chosen for the technical challenge they present, such as the white plastic chairs in Open air cinema, Orvieto (2016–17).
Running through November 13, the exhibition serves as Di Stefano’s token of grati-tude to Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in London for the pivotal support they provided at the launch of his career.