Christopher Pugliese is an American Artist. Born and raised in New York City he paints in the manner of his Italian ancestors and considers the process an exploration of his own genetic history. At home he is known as the “Downtown Da Vinci,” while in Mexico and Latin America he is referred to as “ el Pintor.”
In 2010, the paintings from his early career, 1995-2010, appeared in a retrospective at the New Britain Museum of American Art. This series of brooding images painted in the style of the Renaissance Masters tells the story of the artist’s life over a fifteen year period. The frustrations of a young man learning to paint, the combination of excitement and fear we feel when confronting the blank canvas. The artist compares this time of his life to Picasso’s Blue Period, the dark chapters of a book one passes through on their quest for the sun.
After this retrospective, Christopher’s work began to change dramatically. He abandoned the studio and started traveling, creating installations at Burning Man, performances at the Venice Bienalle and interactive street art murals. This decade of creative exploration led the artist to a new project “ The Museum in the Streets.”
Conceived during the 2020 quarantine, this project is meant to inspire artists who would normally only exhibit in galleries and art fairs to put their work in the streets where it can be experienced by the public directly.
Christopher Pugliese believes that Art is one of the basic building blocks of civilization, and that in times of great wealth and prosperity this truth can be taken for granted because we are so image rich. As the world is becoming increasingly virtual, private people are losing access to experiences that are free from the agendas of commercial advertising. “Therefore,” asserts Mr. Pugliese, “it is essential to create public art so that people can be enriched by the power of original Artworks.”
Solo Exhibitions
2022 “Icons “ NFT release, 33 Howard St., NYC 2021 “The Birds are talking”, 35 Howard Street gallery, NYC 2020 “The Lions Den”, unveiling Street Art for the City of New york 2020 “The Doors of 214 Lafayette”, unveiling , NYC 2019 “This never happened”, New Years exhibition, Careyes, Mx 2019 “Diamonds are Forever”, Galeria Hilario Galguera, Mx 2019 “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Portrait unveiling, 56 Leonard st, NYC 2019 Portrait unveiling and new paintings , Careyes, Mexico 2019 Catch of the Day, Performance, Venice biennale, Venice, Italy 2019 Trouble in Paradise exhibition and performance, Tulum Mx 2019 New Paintings, Mexico City 2018 Unveiling of Roberto Palazuelos, Domenico Vacca Flagship, NYC 2017 “Hola Guapo”, mural unvieling, Tulum mexico 2017 Kick kennedy portrait release party, Georges Bergės gallery ,NYC 2016 Infinite Bliss Animation Premiere for Afest, Playa Del Carmen2016 - The Witness, Domenico Vacca, NYC
2016 - The Fountain of Youth, Jean Nouvelle Building, New York City, NY
2015 - New Years, Ahau Tulum, Tulum, Mexico
2015 - Alaya Tulum, Tulum, Mexico
2014 - A Private Affair, 35 Howard, New York City, NY
2011 - Art Cube, Laguna Beach, CA
2010 - New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT
2010 - Shooting Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 - Bruce Allen Gallery, Miami Beach, FL
2003 - Arcadia Gallery, New York City, NY
2002 - John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2001 - Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York City, NY
1999 - Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York City, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions
2014 - Arcadia Gallery, New York City, NY
2013 - Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles
2013 - Diego Salazar Gallery, New York City, NY
2013 - Arcadia Gallery, New York City, NY
2013-2012 - Contemporary American realism exhibition traveling in China:
Beijing - 9/15/2012
Dalian - 11/14/2012
Tianjin - 1/23/2013
Wuhan - 4/1/2013
Hangzhou - 6/3/2013
Shanghai - 7/3/2013
2012 - Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2011 - National Arts Club, New York City, NY
2010 - The Forbes Collection, New York City, NY
2009 - Aqua Art Fair, Shooting Gallery, Miami Beach, FL
2008 - Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2008 - Copro Nason Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 - New York Academy of Art, Faculty exhibit, New York City, NY
Christopher Pugliese in his studio, New York City. 2020
2005 - Idols of Perversity, Bellwether Gallery, New York City, NY
2003 - The Arnot Museum, Elmira, NY
2003 - Art Miami, Miami, FL
2002 - Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
2001 - John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2001 - Group Exhibition, Miami University, Chicago, IL
2001 - Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York City, NY
1999 - John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1999 - Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York City, NY
1999 - Albemarle Gallery, London, England
1997 - American Artist, Methods and Materials Show, Pasadena, CA
1997 - Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York City, NY
1996 - The Society of Illustrators, New York City, NY
1995 - Chuck Levitan Gallery, New York City, NY
1995 - Revson Grant Exhibition, Lincoln Center, New York City, NY
1994 - Emerging Artists 1994, Limner Gallery, New York City, NY
1994 - 18th Annual Small Works Competition, Washington Square East Galleries, New York City, NY