Nicholas Africano

Nicholas Africano was born in 1948 in Kankakee, Illinois. Well-known for depicting alienated human figures on vast empty backgrounds, in one thematic body of work the artist explores various media, oscillating between two- and three-dimensional representation – starting from painting in the 70s, later experimenting with reliefs, and then turning to sculpture, with glass as his favorite material. His wide critical acclaim came in the mid-70s, with his first individual exhibitions and invitation to important group shows, such as the Whitney Biennial (1977), “Language, Drama, Source & Vision” (1983) at the New Museum in New York, a famous traveling exhibition “Back to the USA” (1983-4), among many others. Works of Africano are widely collected all over the world, including institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney and MoMA in New York or MOCA in Los Angeles. Currently he lives and works in Normal, Illinois.