Biography

Luciano Bonomi was born in Milan in 1939 and trained there at the Universita Commerciale Luigi Bacconi between 1959–1963, obtaining Degree in Economics. Later, between 1969–75 he studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and participated in several exhibitions before travelling in Africa. In 1986 he moved to the Black Country in England to establish Valbruna, a large Vicenza based stainless steel company. He remained in that post until 2000 when he was persuaded to set up Valbruna in Dubai. After 5 years he went home to Italy, settling in Latina outside Rome, where he continues his practice.

In England he continued his exhibition programme, showing his brass sculptures in museums in the West Midlands: Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Dudley Art Gallery and Walsall Museum and Art Gallery. He joined Art First in 1992 and has been with the gallery ever since, exhibiting both his brass sculptures set in Perspex boxes and small paper collages which relate to or precede the metallic subjects. For his 2008 exhibition at Art First in London, Novellas, Kate Eustace wrote in the accompanying catalogue:

Like his acknowledged master at the Brera in Milan, Fausto Melotti (1901–1986) Bonomi’s titles belie the light hearted appearance of the work………A solitary Fisherman on the Bay of Naples appears to land a handsome catch buy behind, beyond and above him Vesuvius Smokes!

In 2020 COMEL Arte Contemporanea (Latino) hosted a major retrospective exhibition of his work with an illustrated catalogue. This publication, and the Novellas catalogue can both be seen online in the Publications section.