His artistic journey originates from the poetics of the Metaphysical School of Giorgio de Chirico and Alberto Savinio, yet he reinvents its foundations with a wholly original and personal interpretation. His research unfolds through moments of contemplation and metaphysical silences, contrasted by nocturnal and deeply tormented expressions, where the detachment from the silent stillness inhabiting the canvases of the Pictor Optimus is distinctly felt.
His works present themselves as stages where objects serve as bearers of oneiric symbolism. Ciro Palumbo is not merely a painter but, in essence, a poet who reflects, acts, and composes, weaving metaphors around the elusiveness of Time and the boundlessness of Space. He demonstrates his ability to delve not so much into Nature but into the imaginative impressions that emerge from memory. A curious researcher and scholar, in recent years, he has also explored the theme of mythology, interpreting classical myths through a distinctly modern lens and offering a profoundly erudite and evocative reading. The artist thus manages to sublimate and recontextualize ancient myths in timeless spaces, revealing their contemporary relevance.
His background in advertising graphics led him to work for years as an Art Director in advertising agencies in Turin. It was during this time that he discovered and refined his visual and compositional skills. Later, his experience in a modern art workshop and encounters with contemporary masters guided him toward mastering the oil painting technique with glazing. In recent years, the artist has also successfully ventured into sculpture, giving three-dimensional form to the themes of his poetics through terracotta.
Palumbo began exhibiting in 1994 and has held over a hundred solo exhibitions across Italy. In 2011, he participated in the 54th Venice Biennale, in the Piemonte Pavilion. In 2022, he participated in the event An Unknown That Does Not Terrify with Identity Collective, during the 59th Venice Biennale, in the National Pavilion of Grenada. In 2024, he once again participated in the National Pavilion of Grenada during the 60th Venice Biennale as a member of The Perceptive Group in the event No Man Is an Island.
Among his international exhibitions, notable appearances include Artexpo New York, Context Art Miami, and solo shows in Providence (USA) and Bellinzona (Switzerland). Some of Palumbo’s works are part of the collections of the Fondazione Credito Bergamasco, the G. Sciortino Civic Gallery of Modern Art in Monreale (PA), the MACIST Museum in Biella, the Palazzo della Cultura, and the MACS Museum in Catania.