The House in the Woods, Circa 1970

Aldo Pecoraino  

Aldo Pecoraino was one of the most original interpreters of Sicilian painting in the second half of the twentieth century. Born in Palermo in 1927, he graduated in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown in 1954, where he subsequently taught restoration until 1996. His artistic research developed independently of prevailing trends and movements, maintaining a distinctive and deeply personal expressive language.

A friend and respected figure among leading intellectuals and cultural personalities such as Leonardo Sciascia, Andrea Camilleri, and Enzo and Elvira Sellerio, Pecoraino developed a body of work deeply rooted in the natural landscape of Sicily. The Madonie mountains, monumental trees, sun-scorched countryside, and the evocative silences of his homeland became central elements of his artistic vision.

Among the most significant exhibitions in his career are:

The major retrospective held in 1989 at the Gallery of Modern Art in Palermo, accompanied by texts by writer Vincenzo Consolo;

(), presented in Gibellina in 1993;

(), a solo exhibition in Milan in 2016;

(), presented at the Italian Cultural Institute in Abu Dhabi in 2024.

His works are held in the collections of the Gallery of Modern Art in Palermo and in significant public and private collections, including those formerly belonging to Leonardo Sciascia, Andrea Camilleri, and the Sellerio family.

Pecoraino is often described as the “poet of trees.” His oaks, olive trees, woodlands, and Sicilian landscapes are far more than naturalistic depictions: they become powerful metaphors for the human condition. His painting combines figurative elements with an expressionist sensibility, characterised by vivid colours and a vibrant, richly textured application of paint. In its emotional intensity, his work recalls certain aspects of Fauvism and European Expressionism while retaining a distinctive and unmistakably personal identity.

Among the most celebrated subjects in his artistic production are:

The monumental oaks of the Madonie mountains;

Olive trees;

Woodlands engulfed in fire;

Boats stranded on dry land;

Landscapes from the () series;

Compositions devoted to the natural world of Sicily, created between the 1970s and the 1990s.