Giulio Turcato (Mantua, 1912 – Rome, 1995) is one of the central figures of twentieth-century Italian abstraction. Trained in Venice, he settled in Rome in 1943, took part in the Resistance and became a key presence in the postwar art scene. In 1947 he co-signed the Forma 1 manifesto alongside Accardi, Consagra, Dorazio, Perilli and Sanfilippo, asserting the compatibility of political commitment and abstract formal research.
His painting unfolds across distinct cycles — Arcipelaghi, Superfici lunari, Itinerari in gommapiuma, Cangianti — experimenting with unconventional materials such as sand, foam rubber and fluorescent pigments, in a practice that combines formal rigour with lyrical tension. He participated in the Venice Biennale from 1942 until the year of his death, with dedicated rooms in 1958, 1966 and 1972. In 1966 he received the Premio della Presidenza del Consiglio at the Quadriennale in Rome. His works are held at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, the Museo del Novecento in Milan and the MART in Rovereto.
