Julio Villani
1956, Marília | SP – Brazil
Born in Marilia in Brazil, Julio Villani works and lives in Paris since 1982. Since his childhood, he began to learn art in the studio of his neighbor who was a restorer of panels and paintings from churches. Julio Villani has repeatedly been in a nomadic and artistic quest which nurtured his subjectivity and his work’s dynamic. After studying at the art faculty of Sao Paulo, he went to Amazonia “to see the sources of indian geometry” and continued research in European museums such as Louvre, National Gallery or Prado, to see artworks known since childhood thanks to photographies. He studied then at Watford School of London and at Beaux-Arts of Paris before getting in 1993 the Leonardo da Vinci grant from the Ministère de la Culture et de la Francophonie.
Julio Villani mixes “historical references of visuality (concrete – constructivist, abstract, surrealist, sensitive geometrical patterns of brazilian indigenous peoples and popular imaginary) with the expansion of directories - graphic, photographic, chromatic and three-dimensional - to embroid, assembly utilitarian objects, interfere with pre-existing images”. Since the end of the 1990’s, he participates in many exhibitions in France and Brazil.
Individual Exhibitions:
2021 Conflicting perspectives, Slag-RX Gallery, New York Traversées, Galerie RX, Paris
2019 Alinhavai, Galeria Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo, Brazil
2019 By a Thread, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, Brazil
2019 Final Point, Galerie RX, Paris
2018 Lost property servisse, Galerie 1900-2000, Paris
2017 Rack of emotions, SAM Art Projects, espace Fondations privées, Monte Carlo art fair
2016 The bit of reality, Abbaye Saint-Jean d’Orbestier, Château d’Olonne, curador Philippe Piguet
2016 Estratégias obliquas, Galeria Arte Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo, Brazil
2016 Projeto Solo, Untitled art fair, Miami, Galeria Mercedes Viegas
2014 Plane, line, point and not, Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
2012 Memory of my hundred years, Caixa Cultural, Brasilia, Brazil
2011 Palimpsesto, Galeria Murilo de Castro, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2010 The surveyor, Musée Zadkine, Paris
2009 Memory of my hundred years, Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2008 Reverse Verse, SESC Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
2007 Reverse Verse, SESC Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
2006 Habitat center, New Delhi
2005 I’m not from here, Maison de l’Amérique latine, Paris
2005 The origin of the world, centre d’art contemporain 10neuf, Montbéliard, curated by Philippe Cyroulnik
2005 Noah’s ark, galerie 1900-2000
2004 Reverse Verse, Casa França-Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2002 Appropriations/ Expropriations, CREDAC, Ivry-sur-Seine
2002 Paintings and indirect objects, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil
2002 Patches aand patches, Paço das Artes, São Paulo, Brazil
2000 Galerie Cleyne Huis, La Haye
1999 Paço das artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1999 Musée château de Dieppe
1998 Passage de Retz, Paris
1998 Art museum, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
1997 Interventions in collections, Musée des Beaux-arts
1997 d’Agen, curadoria Yannick Lintz
1990 Archaelogical forms, La Base, Paris
1990 Ephemeral factory, Paris
1988 Galerie Laage-Salomon, Paris
1988 Galerie Riverin Arlogos, Montréal
1986 Galerie Marius, Copenhague
1986 Galerie du Haut Pavé, Paris
Collectives Exhibitions:
2022 Resonant Horizons, Galerie Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo, Brazil
2021 Museum of Lina (Bo Bardi), Works from the collection of MAM-Salvador de Bahia, curated by Daniel Rangel.
2021 Between spaces, Galeria Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo, Brazil
2021 Natura Arts Magistrate, Galerie Jeune Création, Fondation Fiminco, Romainville
2021 Doctrine of colors, Galeria Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo, Brazil
2021 Baião de dois: dialogue between artists, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, Brazil
2020 To be one of them, 70ème édition de Jeune Création, galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Pantin
2020 Tomorrow will be another day, Grandes Serres de Pantin, curador Sofia Lanusse
2020 Collapsible, Galeria Mercedes Viegas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2020 The power takes care of you #2, Galerie Jeune Création, Fondation Fiminco, Romainville
2019 … and the dark, Abbaye du Thoronet, CMN/ Palais de Tokyo hors de murs, curador Jean de Loisy
2019 The little collector (artists toys) Galeria Carbono, São Paulo, curated by Mariane Klettenhofer et Artur Lescher
2018 Works on paper, Galeria Mercedes Viegas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2017 The imensity of maps, Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, curated by Agnaldo Farias
2017 4+4, Galerie RX, Paris, curated by Sandra Hegedus
2017 Geometric figures and shapes, Galerie 1900-2000, Paris
2015 Surprise is to be happy! Chapelle de la Visitation, Thonon-les-Bains, curated by Philippe Piguet
2014 Affinities – Raquela Arnaud 40 years, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo, curated by Raquel Arnaud
2014 Manifest, Galeria Mercedes Viegas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2014 Made by brazilians, Hôpital Matarazzo, São Paulo, Brazil
2012 Brazil! Villani, Meirelles, Rio Branco, Tunga, Chapelle de la Visitation, Thonon-les-Bains, curated by Philippe Piguet
2011 Curve line point, Contemporaneo C.C. Borges, Buenos Aires, curated by Philippe Cyroulnik
2011 South hemisphere, Galerie du granit, Ecole d’art Gérard Jacot, Belfort
2010 Sound installation, 66 x 96, Paço das Artes, São Paulo, Brazil
2008 Two way street, Sesc Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil
2007 Screenings, Centre d’art contemporain 10neuf, Montbéliard, curated by Philippe Cyroulnik
2006 Passion and reason of construtive spirit: na achivement of Latin American art, œuvres de la Fondation Daniella Chappard, Le Bellevue, Biarritz
2006 Stop, Centre FriArt, Friburg, curador Sarah Zurcher
2005 Brazilians fillings, Musée de l’Hôtel Dieu, Mantes-la-Jolie, curador Philippe Cyroulnik
2004 Don’t call it performance, Museo del Barrio, New York
2003 Don’t call it performance, Centro de arte Reina Sofia, Madrid
2001 Art in freedom, Europ’art, Genève
2000 Continental change, Fondation Ludwig, Aix-la-Chapelle
1999 Long live Paris, Espace Electra, Paris
1998 City canibal, Paço das artes, Biennale de São Paulo, Brazil
1998 Art museum of São Paulo, Collection Gilberto Chateaubriand
1998 33ème Salon de Montrouge
1997 Maison de l’Amérique Latine, Paris
1996 Matters, memories, 10 Latin American artists, 24a Bienal de Pontevedra
1995 Maison d’Art Contemporain Chaillioux, Fresnes
1994 They draw like they paint, MAM, Rio de Janeiro et MAM, Salvador
1991 Hôpital Ephémère, Paris
1991 Galerie 1900-2000, Paris
1988 Modernity, MAM, São Paulo, curador Marie Odile Briot, Aracy Amaral, Roberto Pontual
1988 Brazilian overtures, Credac, Ivry-sur-Seine, curador Philippe Cyroulnik, Roberto Pontual
1987 Modernity, art brésilien du XXème siècle, MAM, Paris, curador Marie Odile Briot, Aracy Amaral, Roberto Pontual
1984 Out door design, Museu de arte contemporânea, São Paulo, Brazil
1983 Dog, Cozzolino, Villani, Galeria Debret, Paris, curador Vera Pedrosa.
1980 Young drawings, Museu de arte contemporânea, São Paulo, Brazil
Public Collections:
Musées de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
Nacional Center of Visual Arts, Paris, France
Paris Department of Cultural affairs, Paris, France
Nacional Furniture, Paris, France
Museum of Public Assistance, Paris
Usina de Arte, Pernambuco, Brasil
Museu de Arte Moderna of Bahia MAM- Salvador, BA, Brasil
Selected Publications:
2019 By a Thread, Galeria Estação, São Paulo
2019 …and the dark, jean de loisy, Marc Couturier, Jean-Marc Ferrari e Julio Villani na Abadia do Thoronet,cmn / Palais de Tokyo
2019 Galerie Laage-Salomon, Paris, souvenirs d’une galeriste 1980-2002, Gabrielle Salomon, Paris
2019 Brazilians in Paris, au fil des siècles et des arrondissements, Adriana Brandão, préface gilles lapouge, editor Chandeigne, Paris
2018 The immensity of maps, contemporary art in dialogue with maps from the Santander Collection, Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba
2018 Biobliographic dictionary of Minas Gerais, Constância Lima Duarte, Autêntica publishing company, Belo Horizonte
2016 Julio Villani 1+1+1, Cocchiarale, Piguet, Sallé, Lavrador, Alzugaray, Farias, publishing company Somogy, Paris, publishing company Martins Fontes, São Paulo
2016 Julio Villani, le peu de réalité, Philippe Piguet, Igreja Saint-Jean Dorbestier, Château D’olonne
2014, Affinities – Raquela Arnaud 40 years, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Cosac & Naify, São Paulo
2014 Made by brazilians, curador Marc Pottier, Hospital Matarazzo, São Paulo, publishing company Galerie Enrico Navarra, publishing company Capivara
2012 Memory of my hundred years, caixa cultural, Brasilia
2011 South hemisphere, dessins d’artistes latino-américains, Philippe Cyroulnik, Le 10neuf, Centre Régional d’art contemporain, Montbéliard
2010 Twenty years of macc, Pierre Wat, Maison d’art contemporain Chailloux, Fresnes
2010 Julio Villani: it’s [a ga]me, ph. Piguet, m. Asbury,editora Archibooks, Paris
2008 Marcel Duchamp: A work that is not a art work, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, fundation Proa, Buenos Aires
2006 Short Stories, Indian habitat center, New Delhi
2006 Brazilian amalgams, 18 contemporary artists from Brazil, Philippe Cyroulnik, Agnaldo Farias, Musée de l’hôtel-dieu, mantes-la-jolie, publishing company Somogy
2005 The origin of the world, centre d’art contemporain 10neuf, Montbéliard, curated by Philippe Cyroulnik
2005 Reverse Verse, Sesc SP, Santo André
2005 Reverse Verse, Sesc SP, Araraquara
2003 – 2004 Don’t call it performance, no lo llames performance, Museo del Barrio, New York, Museo Nacional Centro de arte Reina Sofia, Madrid
2002 Journey of contemporary artists, Galeries Lafayette – Haussmann
2002 Paintings and indirect objects, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
2001 Ex-Appropriations, Credac, Ivry-sur-seine
2001 Art of Latin America 1981-2000, g.r. Caballero, editora Inter-American development bank
2000 Patches and Patches, Marcos Hill, Paço das Artes, São Paulo
2000 Continental shift, an exhibition of contemporary art, aix-la-chapelle
1999 Long live Paris, Espace Electra, Paris
1998 City Canibal, Paço das Artes, São Paulo
1998 Visual arts forum in France, Les Ulis, Essone
1997 Interventions in collections, Musée des Beaux-arts
1996 Memories materials, 10 artists from Latin America, Christine Frérot, Bienal de Pontevedera, Espanha
1995 Chroniques Simultanée, Institut Français de Thessalonique
1995/94 Modern and Contemporary in Brazilian art, collection Gilberto Chateubriant do Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, Reynaldo Roels jr, MAM Rio de Janeiro, MAM Salvador, MASP
1993 Interventions on collections, artists of l’hôpital éphémère au Musée de l’assistance publique, Paris
1993 Modern design in Brazil, collection Gilberto Chateaubriand, Galeria de arte do SESI, São Paulo
1992 Current expressions, 62 artists from Latin America, Espace Chevreuil, Nanterre
1991 Br80: Brazil painting in the 80s, Ernest Robert de Carvalho Mange, Frederico Moraes, Instituto Cultural Itaú
1990 Archeaological forms, Philippe Dagen, la base, Levallois Perret
1988 Modernity, Brazil art of the century XX, Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo
1988 Brazilian overtures, Philippe Cyroulnik, Roberto Pontual, éditions Credac
