Building on his varied interests in geography, culture, colors & patterns, and the world of ‘data sets’, Carlo Abruzzese creates paintings that combine the disparate worlds of fine art and quantitative information. The ‘maps’ he creates are not only of a location, but of the human content: diversity, culture, immigration, religion, poverty—topics that define our modern world.
Using simple materials like colored pencils, acrylic paint, drafting film and an old-school drafting table, he creates complex, information-rich art that goes beyond computer-generated designs. The artwork diligently portrays the data accurately, but also brings a deeper understanding of the people populating each location. The repetitive colors and patterns that emerge engage the viewer on different levels. As one viewer of his artwork commented: “It increases your IQ and lowers your blood pressure.”
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Abruzzese earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master in Architecture from Harvard University. He was an artist-in-residence at the de Young Museum, the Santa Fe Art Institute, the Vermont Studio Center and at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA. He has exhibited extensively at galleries and museums throughout Northern California.
Carlo Abruzzese lives and work in the Mission District in San Francisco.
Upcoming Events
48 Pillars
Arc Gallery
San Francisco, CA
February-April 2023
Recent Events
Artist-in-Residence
Monson Arts Center
Monson, Maine
October 2022
Artist-in-Residence
Google
Mountain View, CA
July 2021 - September 2021
The de Young Open
The H M de Young Memorial Museum
San Francisco, CA
October 2020 - January 2021