Maria Murgia (1935) - Digital Marilyn Monroe

GicléeArt, digital processing by Maria Murgia, the composed image is unique and original. Pigment print from Epson on 340 g cotton Canvas, 100x100 cm with white border for mounting on a frame. Limited edition 1/8, signed with the edition number on the front and back. Certificate of Authenticity on a signed photo by the artist. Shipping is with the canvas rolled in sturdy tubes.

GALLERY SELLING PRICE € 800.00
DIGITAL WORKS ARCHIVE 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 her most important life choices.
FIRST ENCOUNTERS
Still very young, at the Sassari Gallery “Il Cancello,” Maria had the opportunity to meet the great master Aligi Sassu. Struck by her early works, he strongly encouraged her to continue her artistic studies. Her encounter with Sassu would recur in later years: in 1989, in Thiesi, the master visited one of her shows and described it with prophetic words as “the painter of color” and “artist of the 2000s.”
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 city’s artistic circles and attending the studio of master Virgilio Guidi, an experience that profoundly marked her creative path.
THE RETURN TO SARDINIA AND THE BEGINNINGS OF HER CAREER
After a period spent between Cagliari and the island of La Maddalena, during which she studied at the Sassari Institute of Art, in 1974 she settled permanently in La Spezia. She began teaching at school, as director of a kindergarten. Her first solo exhibition 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 at that occasion Professor Nicola Rilli, important for his historical studies on the Etruscans and for a reinterpretative work of Pinocchio. A Murgia canvas is part of the Pinocchio-focused collection donated by Rilli to the municipality of Collodi.
SUCCESS AND IMPORTANT MEETINGS
In the following years she exhibited with growing 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 major 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 had a solo show at the Palazzo Pretorio in Sesto Fiorentino and met master Pietro Annigoni.
THE COSTA SMERALDA PERIOD
In 1979 she began collaborating with art dealer Franco Cardilicchia, who introduced her to the prestigious Florence International Art Gallery. In 1981 she opened in Porto Cervo the “Studio d’Arte Maria Murgia,” active until the early 1990s. She thus became the painter of the Costa Smeralda: her works entered the collections of prominent personalities and she was invited several times as guest of honor by Prince Aga Khan at events of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. In 1983 she starred, 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 halls of the Italian Navy ship “Zeffiro.” In 1987, under the direction of her daughter Giusy, she opened the art gallery “Athena” in La Spezia (with a location also in Lerici), while later her son Marco directs the gallery “Punto Arte,” which still curates the Maria Murgia Digital Works Archive.
THE 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 the most avant-garde Italian artists in digital art. Her photomosaics, characterized by a style close to Pop Art, carry a strong, current message against global consumerism, the commodification of women, and the oppression of children.
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, creating the Maria Murgia Picture Gallery, now housed in the municipal halls. The Gallery 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, conferred in an official ceremony at the Baronial Palace.
TELEVISION INTERVIEWS
October 18, 2010 marks the first broadcast on the Telemarket television channel, with the public presentation of digital works. On January 25, 2015 Maria Murgia participated live at the Meeting Arte studios in Vercelli to present 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 television channels: March 3 on Rete 7 in the program “Contemporary Artists” and 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 the ArteParma and Modena 2024 fairs and ArteGenova 2026.