burri

Burri is a surname that is most commonly associated with Alberto Burri (1915–1995), an Italian artist whose work helped redefine painting in the postwar era. Born in Città di Castello, Umbria, Burri studied medicine before turning to art after World War II. He developed a practice centered on materiality, using humble, discarded, or industrially produced substances as the primary medium for his works.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Burri created several influential bodies of work that challenged conventional painting. The Sacchi (sacks) series used coarse burlap sacks coated with gesso or other media, turning a utilitarian material into abstract surfaces with a tactile, irregular texture. The Combustioni (burnt) series involved singeing or scorching canvases, leaving darkened aprons of ash and char that highlighted process, trauma, and transformation. He also experimented with plastics, wood, paper, and other materials, continually exploring how matter itself could carry expressive potential.

One of Burri’s most ambitious projects is the Cretto di Gibellina, a monumental installation begun in the 1980s that uses white plaster to map and cover the streets of the ruined Sicilian town of Gibellina. The work functions as urban memory and a sculptural landscape, reflecting on catastrophe, reconstruction, and time.

Burri’s innovations influenced later movements in contemporary art, including the broader currents of Arte Povera and the ongoing debate about materiality in painting. His works are held by major museums worldwide, and he remains a central figure in discussions of 20th‑century artistic practice.