LA GALERIE CASLANO

La Galerie-Caslano, located in the heart of Caslano on Lake Lugano, is a landmark in the world of contemporary art. Founded by Mariagrazia Poncia and Jean-Marc Jobin, La Galerie-Caslano honors the artistic legacy of Jean-Pierre Groppx (Groppi), a distinguished painter born in Livorno in 1943 and who passed away in 2004 in Cernobbio, on Lake Como. Mariagrazia envisioned creating this art space in memory of her late husband, celebrated for his significant contributions to the arts. Jean-Pierre Groppx (Groppi) was praised by numerous art critics, including Indro Montanelli, for his impactful work within the contemporary art scene.

La Galerie-Caslano’s mission is to promote and enhance the visibility of both local and international artists through various art forms, including paintings, sculptures, and more, offering the public a culturally enriching and meaningful experience. The gallery organizes cultural events, exhibitions, and lectures that contribute to the dissemination of artistic knowledge and engage the local and international community.

Here are the artists whose works will be featured during YouNique 2025:

Jean-Pierre Groppx

Taras Loboda

Gianni Tolentino

JEAN-PIERRE GROPPX

Born on January 2, 1943, in Livorno, the birthplace of the great Macchiaioli and post-Macchiaioli painters, Jean Pierre Groppx began his artistic journey at a very young age with simple works, drawing flowers on fabric. In 1966, after saving some money, he was able to afford the luxury of enrolling at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and joining the Atelier of Glevreyese, where he met other young students like himself, forming a lasting friendship with them. It was in Paris, in that very atelier, that Jean Pierre Groppx’s painting began to come to life, and for fun, he painted what was real.

In 1967, Groppx frequently visited the Louvre to copy ancient works; these were years when the artist pursued his desire to paint with enthusiasm and even joy, expressing his happy temperament in a painting increasingly closer to life, to things, to animals, to flesh, to everything that expands, to everything that takes shape. However, the artist became the victim of a workplace accident while employed as a draftsman at an aerospace company (Marcel Dassault), injuring his right hand due to a simple and trivial incident.

Jean Pierre Groppx’s life, always culturally connected to the artistic world, would unfold very differently from that of his Bohemian friends. After inheriting a substantial fortune upon his father’s death, he found the true meaning of life primarily in the solitude of his studio, where he translated the sensations and deep meanings of the sparkling world that revolved around him into works of art. Female companionship aroused strong passions in Groppx, as did the brilliant demi-monde environment he frequented: fashionable cafés and concert halls where one could meet people from various social backgrounds, artists, intellectuals, women of easy virtue, and wealthy bourgeois. It was a world in which Groppx felt perfectly at ease, but which he had to leave behind due to his illness.

His health, increasingly fragile, forced him into long periods of rest, far from his beloved Paris and the cafés. Drawn more and more to Tuscany, where he sought the sun, light, and the mild climate as the only relief from the painful ailments in his hand, he continued to suffer, supported only by his “volupté de peindre” (pleasure in painting). His quick and light brushwork skilfully captured grace and softness, enriched by a deep interpretive value that immersed itself in daily life, capturing moments to magically fix on the canvas. His works displayed freshness and expressive vivacity, highlighting his skill in capturing individual characteristics. The use of color and its brightness; the tones seemed to evoke the luminosity of painting, producing effects that recalled the colors of Velázquez’s paintings. In this phase of his work, the attention and dedication to observing life, which was always the main subject of his painting, were already evident.

TARAS LOBODA

Taras Loboda was born on May 4, 1961, in Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine, into the family of I.I. Loboda, a famous Ukrainian artist. He graduated from the Kiev Art Institute (1979-1985). In 1979, he attended the renowned Zaretsky studio. He has participated in numerous international, republican, and all-Soviet Union exhibitions. Since 1993, he has lived and worked in Prague (Czech Republic). He is a painter who creates thematic compositions, portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Currently living and working in Prague, the artist has developed with tenacity and determination three main themes: the portrait and the female act (a body with melodious lines, a gaze with a sad sense of loneliness), a classic and rigorous still life, and a ghostly landscape.

GIANNI TOLENTINO

Gianni Tolentino, born in Milan, is a stylist, costume designer, designer, and academic painter from the Brera Academy. He is one of the most well-known interpreters of Made in Italy. Gianni began his training in the 1970s in important ateliers in the history of style: Mila Schon, Dior, and Pucci, ideal places to hone and direct his natural talent and artistic education.

In the 1980s, he opened his first atelier in the fashion district of Milan, on Via Bigli, which quickly became a destination and a point of reference for elegance and stylistic originality for both Italian and international clients. His first major runway show took place during that period at the Grand Hotel et de Milan, where his exclusive creations immediately gained success. In the 1990s, he opened an elegant atelier on Via Manzoni in Palazzo Borromeo, one of Milan’s most famous residences, which he personalized with frescoes and where he began to sign his prêt-à-porter collections, specializing in evening gowns. While haute couture remained his flagship, he also began producing for a broader and more diverse audience, driven by new social changes.

Tolentino has a great passion: costumes inspired by Carnival, a love affair that began in Venice, where the designer is a frequent guest. He possesses one of the largest and most original collections of Carnival costumes he designed for the Venice Carnival, which were awarded a Golden Lion. These collections are requested and showcased at prestigious events in various locations such as castles in France and England, historical villas belonging to the FAI, and important international museums.

Gianni Tolentino has been the subject of numerous publications and television reports both in Italy and abroad. He collaborated with the Teatro alla Scala for the creation of ballet costumes. Gianni is also involved in social causes through artistic support activities, such as teaching drawing at a school for disabled children in Monza. He organizes charity fashion shows to raise funds for humanitarian organizations, healthcare institutions, and animal rights associations. He also contributed illustrations to the fairy tale book “Trittico degli uccelli” by Alberto Neri for children’s charity efforts on behalf of the Italian Red Cross. His most recent event was a fashion show for the Mangiagalli Clinic on March 21, 2018, at Palazzo Bovara.

Gianni Tolentino was awarded the “AWARD AL MERITO 2018” for his excellence in style, with creations designed to enhance beauty, grace, and feminine creativity. Through his work, he has contributed to bringing Made in Italy to the world and making Milan one of the most prestigious centers of international fashion.