Angelo Accardi (1964) - Misplaced by the sea side

Angelo Accardi – "Misplaced, Seaside" – Hand-Signed Limited Edition Silkscreen, Professionally Framed

Angelo Accardi, born in 1964 in Sapri, in Italy's Salerno province, is one of the most recognisable contemporary Italian artists working today, celebrated for his ironic, surreal visual language. After a brief period at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, he opened his own studio in the 1990s, choosing to develop his practice independently through hands-on exploration rather than formal training. He remains based in Sapri, his hometown.

Accardi is best known for his "Misplaced" series, in which ostriches, his most iconic and instantly recognisable subject, appear stranded in environments that have nothing to do with their natural habitat: city streets, museum interiors, domestic rooms. The effect is deliberately alienating, prompting the viewer to question why these disoriented creatures have been placed there at all. Accardi has described the underlying tension in his own words: "Man creates with so much passion, but with malice destroys." His work draws a wry comparison between the ostriches' instinctive, uncomplicated presence and humanity's often clumsy relationship with the world around it, and with art itself, since his ostriches frequently appear captivated by paintings referencing Old Masters and major contemporary artists including Damien Hirst and Keith Haring. He has exhibited extensively across Italy and internationally, with recent shows including "Icarus' Dream" at the 17th-century Palazzo Donà dalle Rose in Venice (2024), and his market has grown significantly in recent years, with reported price appreciation of roughly double over a single year at points in his career.

"Misplaced, Seaside" captures this signature theme beautifully: ostriches wander along a moody, graffiti-scrawled waterfront promenade at night, city lampposts and reflected lights glowing against dark water, with elegant period architecture and softly glowing blue trees lining the boulevard behind them which is a classic Accardi scene of quiet surreal displacement.

Details:

Artist: Angelo Accardi
Title: "Misplaced, Seaside"
Technique: Silkscreen/serigraph on paper
Hand signed and numbered by the artist
Limited edition
Year: 2013
Period: 2010–2020
Unframed dimensions: 49 x 69 cm
Framed dimensions: 69 x 89 cm
Professionally framed in a grey and silver fleck frame, triple matted in cream, burgundy, and charcoal, with art glass
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity
Condition: purchased new and unframed, since professionally framed
Note: we cannot guarantee the glass against breakage in transit, but every care will be taken to ensure it arrives safely
Provenance: Purchased new via Catawiki, August 2020 and framed