Maria Murgia (1935) - Composizione

Oil on canvas work in cm 90x30 created by Maria Murgia in 1998, part of the cycle 'Towards Colour'. With wooden frame measuring cm 105x45

SELLING PRICE IN GALLERY € 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 representative of 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. Struck by her early works, he strongly encouraged her to continue her artistic studies. The meeting with Sassu would repeat over the years: in 1989, in Thiesi, the maestro visited one of her exhibitions and would describe her with prophetic words as “the painter of colour” and “artist of the year 2000.”
THE VENETIAN YEARS
In 1957 she married Giovanni Fancellu, also from Ossi, and moved to Venice. Here she lived for ten years, immersing herself in the city’s artistic circles and frequenting the studio of master Virgilio Guidi, an experience that deeply influenced 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 Institute of Art in Sassari, in 1974 she settled permanently in La Spezia. She began teaching in schools, as head of a kindergarten. Her first solo exhibition was on November 8, 1975, at the “Studio 13” directed by Andrea Occhipinti. The curator of the exhibition and her first art critic was Professor Nicola Rilli, important for his historical studies on the Etruscans and for an interpretive work on the figure of Pinocchio. A canvas by Murgia is part of the Pinocchio-dedicated collection donated by Rilli to the municipality of Collodi.

SUCCESSES AND IMPORTANT ENCOUNTERS
In the following years she exhibited with growing success in Italy; notable is the Sagittarius gallery in Terni, where in 1977 she met Renato Guttuso, who was captivated by the strength and luminosity of her colours. She participated in important events such as the Festival of Spoleto and received in Rome the prestigious Marc’Aurelio Prize ’77 from actress Silvana Pampanini. In the same period she held 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 International Art Gallery in Florence. 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 figures, and she was invited several times as guest of honour by Prince Aga Khan to events at 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, together with other artists, to furnish the official rooms of the Italian Navy ship “Zeffiro.” 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.
THE ARTISTIC EVOLUTION AND DIGITAL ART
Maria Murgia has participated 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 avant-garde artists in digital art. Her photomosaics, characterized by a style close to Pop Art, carry a strong, timely message against global consumerism, the commodification of women, and the abuse of childhood.
HONORARY CITIZENSHIP
In 2012, thanks to a meeting with the Mayor of Ossi, Prof. Pasquale Lubinu, she donated a selection of works to her hometown, giving rise to the Maria Murgia Art Gallery, now housed in the municipal rooms. The Gallery is dedicated in memory of her husband Giovanni, who passed away on July 20, 2014 after 57 years of marriage. In 2015 she received the honorary citizenship of Ossi, conferred with 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 took part live from the Meeting Arte studios 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 national television interviews: 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.