Italian Treasures III: Vittorio Sgarbi Presents Rocco Normanno

Italian Treasures is the exclusive NFT series curated by internationally renowned Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi in collaboration with Apeiron Technologies. Every volume features NFTs of an influential Italian artist selected by Vittorio Sgarbi, allowing buyers to discover Italian art like never before.

This marks the third installment of the Italian Treasures series and introduces the work of Rocco Normanno, whose work is based on the models of 17th-century realism linked to his artist of reference, Caravaggio. Normanno adapts Biblical, mythological and literary scenes to our contemporary reality.

Rocco Normanno was born on August 21, 1974 in Taurisano, a small town in the province of Lecce. There, he completed his secondary education at the Professional Institute for Commerce, and, in 2003, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.

In his style of realism, Rocco Normanno does not seek to represent reality with half-measures. Normanno makes light a fundamental element of his works, which, as in Caravaggio’s paintings, seem to come to life, emphasizing the drama of the scene.

This Drop’s curator, Vittorio Sgarbi, says of the work of Rocco Normanno:

“The attitudes, the spirit, even the silences, return Caravaggio’s aura, always dramatic, always symbolic. And he is not just a virtuoso at work, but a new and authentic painter of reality. The most frequent and usual episodes of religious iconography are renewed and revived on the scene of everyday life.

“Normanno’s actualization is radical; it is programmatic and pedagogical. And it is not photographic, although it takes advantage of photography. It is, rather, theatrical.

“His friends and acquaintances are clamored to enter the painting, taking on the roles of characters from biblical and evangelical stories and giving them their own likenesses. What is new is that everything happens today, and a stronger focus on the image is needed to trace the illustrated theme.

“The idea is simple, but so intense that it leaves us incredulous. And here reality takes on a symbolic meaning, a second level beyond that of appearance. So much so that the first reality quickly dissolves, and we are forced to see something else.”

About Vittorio Sgarbi

Vittorio Sgarbi is a famous Italian art critic and historian. He is a prolific author and some of his books, though quite expensive, have become bestsellers. Sgarbi is a media personality, and has made a name for himself with his boisterous invectives at people who in his view are incompetent or inept in their role as public figures.

His knowledge of classical art is so extensive that even those who hate his tendency to cross the threshold of verbal decorum, admire it. He has remarkable skills as a public speaker and can talk ad lib for hours on end about practically any painter from Giotto to Picasso. His conferences are usually packed with people and his television appearances always attract a great deal of interest.

About ApeIron

Apeiron Technologies is managed by Francesco Biacchi and Alessandro Tentoni with partners Eros Alfani and Andrea Costella. The company was set up to offer consultancy and innovative solutions linked to blockchain technology, with partners and projects of excellence. The company has strong ties to both the sports sector, having launched Franco Baresi’s official NFT collection, and the art sector, having partnered up with Vittorio Sgarbi, one of Italy’s most prominent art critics.