Francesco Villicich

Born in Parma, Italy, in 1965, Villicich's artistic talent was fostered from childhood by his parents, who, although both medical specialists, were also great lovers of art and actively encouraged the creative force that drove their son. 

At the age of twelve, Villicich was accepted into the prestigious Accademia Balletto Classico of Reggio Emilia where he learnt the discipline of classical ballet underthe direction of the great dancers Liliana Cosi and Marinel Stefanescu. Simultaneously, he studied piano privately and was enrolled in the Instituto Artistico 'Gaetano Chierici', Reggio Emilia from which he graduated at eighteen with a Diploma in Fine Arts.

At twenty, Villicich's ballet career was launched. He danced for four years with the Accademia in Reggio Emilia before pursuing an international career. For the next six years he was Principal Artist in various companies, first in England and then throughout Europe. At thirty he decided to become a freelance dancer and was invited to be Principal Guest Artist with a number of top international companies, partnering many renowned Prima Ballerinas in gala performances around the world. Despite this heavy schedule, he managed to keep painting, bringing to his canvases the same intensity, professionalism and 'musicality' for which he was noted as a dancer.

At the age of thirty five, when still at the apex of his international ballet career, Villicich decided to leave the world of classical dance and to dedicate all his time and creative talents to painting. In 2003 he took up residence in an isolated chalet surrounded by dense forest in the small village of Selvino, above Bergamo, in the mountains of northern Italy. For two years he continued his personal quest to find a visual language to express his sense of nature in its purest form, using oil paint as his medium.

Some years earlier, in 1997, Villicich held his first solo exhibtion in Windsor, england, with works in a range of media, including oils, watercolours and pastels. Following this, he held a number of solo and group exhibitions in Italy, winning prizes and recognition from both public and critics. His paintings have been bought by important private collectors in England, Italy and the United States.

During his career Villicich has received favourable reviews for his paintings from numerous art magazines and newspapers, including The Times (London) and its Italian equivalent, the Corriere della Sera. He has recently been included in Dizionario Comanducci, the prestigious international encyclopedia of artists.

In 2006 Villicich moved to Perth, Western Australia, where he practises full-time as a painter. Following on from his successful solo exhibition Paesaggi held at the Moores building in 2008, emerge ART SPACE is delighted to be showing Francesco's new body of works in an exhibition titled Vespers in early March 2009.