Flavio e Palermo, 2004, 250x300 cm
pencil+gesso on paper on board

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Born in Palermo, Italy, 1970. Lives and works in Palermo.

After his High Levels in Classic studies, he entered at the Palermo University at the Faculty of Law, following his parents footprints. In 1990 he started film courses at the “Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia” of Rome. He worked as an assistant director for important Italian movie directors as Tornatore and Damiani. In those years he divided his time between Great Britain, Spain and Italy.
Starting from 1992 he moved to London working as an artist in several studios - squats of the East End. In 2002 he moved to Rome. In 2006, returning from a long stay in Buenos Aires he moved back to his native town, Palermo.  His work has been shown in a number of countries in Europe and America and is included in many prestigious public collections. In 2005 he was selected to represent his country at the Venice Biennale where he was awarded the audience prize for the italian pavilion.
In 2006 he received a prize from the American Academy in Rome. 
Manfredi Beninati’s work explores the theme of life’s journey. He does this using the pictures of children and of adolescents at the edge of a forest, on a pathway, on a road, on a bicycle, by the sea. These images unlock in the mind of the viewer memories of the anxieties as well as the securities of childhood and the struggle of moving towards in life.
Often Beninati’s works have strong literary and artistic references. Sometimes the artist uses images of boats, horses, cycles and other means of transport as metaphors, again, of the journey of life.
In a number of his works a mother and a child image seems to refer to both the “time honoured” tradition of “Madonna and Bambino” as well as provoking a more modern and psychological interpretation of the genesis of life.
Beninati’s skills as a painter and draftsman are highly developed and, in combination with his cinematic eye,  produce paintings of surprising emotional content.
Lorcan O’Neill

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2008
- “La Natura Morta”, Max Wigram Gallery, London, U.K.
- “Manfredi Beninati”, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2007
- “La lettera "f"”, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy
- “Flavio and Palermo (in the summer)”, James Cohan Gallery, New York, U.S.A.
- "A Flavio", Museo Laboratorio, Città Sant'Angelo (PE), Italy
2006
- “Manfredi Beninati”,  Galeria Braga Menendez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2005
- “Drawing cabinet”,  FPAC,  Palermo, Italy
- “Rescued pictures”,  Galleria Lorcan O’Neill,  Rome, Italy
- “New Paintings”,  James Cohan Gallery,  New York, U.S.A.
2003
- “Manfredi Beninati”, Galleria Lorcan O’Neill, Rome, Italy

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2008
- "Made Up", Liverpool Biennial 2008, Liverpool, U.K.
- "Imaginary Realities. Constructed Worlds...", Max Wigram Gallery, London,UK
- "Dream Therapy", Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts, New York, U.S.A.
- "Liverpool Biennial", Liverpool, U.K.
- "Sand: Memory, Meaning and Metaphor", Parrish Museum, Southampton (NY), U.S.A.
- "Quadriennale di Roma", Palazzo delle esposizioni, Rome, Italy
- "Mediterranean contemporary art", Perna Foundation, Capri, Italy
- "Passed as present", York Art Gallery, York, U.K.
- "Premio Cairo", Palazzo della Permanente, Milano, Italy
2007
- "Summer Show", James Cohan Gallery, New York, U.S.A.
- "Arte italiana 1968-2007. Pittura", Palazzo Reale, Milan, Italy
- "The end begins", The Hospital, London, U.K.
- “Detour“, The Art Directors Club,  New York
- “Open Studios“,  American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy
2006
- “Negotiating reality“,  Victoria H. Myhren Gallery,  University of Denver, Denver, USA
- “C’era una volta un re...”,  Arcos Museo,  Benevento, Italy
- “Figuring the landscape”,  Contemporary Art Galleries, Storrs (Ct),  U.S.A.
2005
- “12 painters”,  Galleria In Arco, AB+, Turin, Italy
- Padiglione Venezia at Giardini, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
2004
- “Between the lines”,  James Cohan Gallery,  New York,  U.S.A.
- “Expander”,  Royal Accademy of Arts,  London,  U.K.
- “Summer show”,  Galleria Lorcan O’Neill,  Rome, Italy
- “Wall Paper”,  GAMeC,  Bergamo, Italy
2003
- “Dirty pictures”,  The Approach Gallery,  London,  U.K.
- “Quadriennale di Roma-Anteprima”, Palazzo Reale,  Naples, Italy
- “Roma 2003”,  Galleria Pack,  Milan,  Italy
- “Le collezioni – Recenti acquisizioni”,  MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome, Italy
2002
- “Www.plot@rt”,  Rome, Italy

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