Francesco Clemente with Carlos Basualdo

Francesco Clemente is a contemporary Italian artist known for his dreamlike paintings based on esoteric themes of sexuality and spirituality. He studied architecture at the University of Rome in 1970 before moving to India three years later. While abroad, he collaborated with local craftsman and painters, while also studying Hindu spiritual texts. His experience in traditional papermaking and miniature painting has had a lasting impact on his work. Relocating to New York in 1981, Clemente began collaborating with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Allen Ginsberg. Clemente lives and works in New York. The artist’s works are held in the collections of The MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Tate Gallery in London, and others.

Argentine curator Carlos Basualdo is the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he oversees the Museum’s Department of Contemporary Art. He was the lead organizer of Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens at the 2009 Venice Biennale, where it was awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. Most recently, he organized Dancing Around the Bride: Cage, Cunningham, Johns, Rauschenberg and Duchamp, which opened in Philadelphia in October of 2012. He was part of the curatorial teams for Documenta11, the 50th Venice Biennale and conceived and curated Tropicalia: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture. From 2010 until 2013 he worked as Curator at Large at MAXXI Arte, in Rome, Italy.