Maria Murgia (1935) - Confusione spaziale

Oil on canvas painting 70x50 cm realized by Maria Murgia in 1997, belonging to the cycle 'Towards Color'.
GALLERY SALE PRICE € 3,000.00
WORK ARCHIVED https://www.mariamurgia.it

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
ORIGINS
Maria Murgia was born on July 14, 1935 in Ossi, near Sassari in Sardinia. She comes from a family with ancient Sardinian noble roots. Her father Salvatore was a wine producer, while her mother Gesuina, a dynamic, intelligent woman who embodies the deep Sardinian matriarchy, played an essential role in her cultural education and in life’s most important choices.
FIRST ENCOUNTERS
While still very young, at the Gallery “Il Cancello” in Sassari, Maria had the opportunity to meet the great master Aligi Sassu. Impressed by her early works, he strongly encouraged her to continue her artistic studies. The encounter with Sassu would recur over the years: in 1989, in Thiesi, the maestro visited one of her shows and described her with prophetic words as “the painter of color” and “artist of 2000.”
THE VENETIAN YEARS
In 1957 she married Giovanni Fancellu, also from Ossi, and moved to Venice. She lived there for ten years, immersing herself in the artistic circles of the lagoon city and attending the studio of maestro Virgilio Guidi, an experience that profoundly marked her creative path.
THE RETURN TO SARDINIA AND THE START OF HER CAREER
After a period spent between Cagliari and the island of La Maddalena, during which she studied at the Istituto d’Arte di Sassari, in 1974 she settled permanently in La Spezia. She began teaching in schools, as director of a kindergarten. Her first solo show took place on November 8, 1975, at the “Studio 13” directed by Andrea Occhipinti. The curator of the show and the first art critic of Murgia was, on that occasion, Professor Nicola Rilli, important for his historical studies on the Etruscans and for an interpretive work of the Pinocchio figure. A Murgia canvas is part of the Pinocchio collection donated by Rilli to the municipality of Collodi.

SUCCESS AND IMPORTANT ENCOUNTERS
In the following years she exhibited with increasing success in Italy; the Sagittarius gallery in Terni is remembered, where in 1977 she met Renato Guttuso, who was fascinated by the strength and luminosity of her colors. She participated in important events such as the Festival of Spoleto and received in Rome the prestigious Marc’Aurelio Award ’77 from actress Silvana Pampanini. In the same period she exhibited a solo show at the Palazzo Pretorio in Sesto Fiorentino and met maestro Pietro Annigoni.
THE COSTA SMERALDA PERIOD
In 1979 she began a collaboration with art dealer Franco Cardilicchia, who introduced her to the prestigious International Art Gallery of Florence. In 1981 she opened in Porto Cervo the “Studio d’Arte Maria Murgia,” active until the early nineties. Thus she became the painter of the Costa Smeralda: her works entered the collections of important personalities and she was repeatedly invited as guest of honor by Prince Aga Khan to the events of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. In 1983 she was featured, together with Maria Carta, in a special event at the Cala di Volpe Hotel.
FAMILY COMMITMENT AND EXHIBITION ACTIVITY
In 1985 she was chosen, along with other artists, to furnish the official rooms of the ship “Zeffiro” of the Italian Navy. In 1987, under the direction of her daughter Giusy, she opened in La Spezia the art gallery “Athena” (also based in Lerici), while later her son Marco directed the gallery “Punto Arte” which to this day curates the Maria Murgia Digital Works Archive.

ARTISTIC EVOLUTION AND DIGITAL ART
Maria Murgia participates in numerous art fairs in Italy and abroad. Her research never stops: always open to experimentation, in 2005 she established herself as one of Italy’s most cutting-edge artists in digital art. Her photomosaics, characterized by a style close to Pop Art, carry a strong and current message against global consumerism, the commodification of women, and the oppression of children.
CIVIC HONORARY CITIZENSHIP
In 2012, thanks to a meeting with the Mayor of Ossi, Prof. Pasquale Lubinu, she donates a selection of works to her hometown, giving life to the Maria Murgia Pinacotheca, now housed in the municipal rooms. The Pinacotheca is dedicated to the memory of her husband Giovanni, who passed away on July 20, 2014 after 57 years of marriage. In 2015 she received honorary citizenship of Ossi, delivered in an official ceremony at the Baronial Palace.

TELEVISION INTERVIEWS
October 18, 2010 marks the first broadcast on the television station Telemarket, with a public presentation of digital artworks. On January 25, 2015 Maria Murgia participated live at the studios of Meeting Arte in Vercelli in the presentation of the Show/Auction of 30 photomosaics. Also by invitation of Meeting Arte, Murgia was part of the jury of 20 internationally renowned artists for the 39th edition of “La modella per l’arte 2015.”
In 2016 there were two interviews on national TV channels: on March 3 on Rete 7 in the program “Contemporary Artists” and on April 14 on Canale Italia 135 at the Portobello studios in Genoa for the presentation of a photomosaic exhibition.
Recently she has exhibited with solo shows at ArteParma and Modena 2024 and ArteGenova 2026.