If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram over the course of the last decade, you have probably stumbled upon the evocative and enigmatic world of Louis Fratino. The artist has become one of those names you just can’t ignore—especially if you’re into the vibrant, the intimate, and the beautifully human. And what seems like the perfect setting, Fratino opened his first museum show this Fall, the Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, Italy, will presented Louis Fratino. Satura through February 2, 2025. Curated by Stefano Collicelli Cagol, Director of Centro Pecci, Satura follows the acclaimed presentation of Fratino’s paintings in a room of Adriano Pedrosa’s Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, 60th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia.
What has emerged in the last few years is that Fratino isn’t just another pivotal artist of figurative painting’s resurgence. There’s something else here, a crafting of an own dialogue, one that’s deeply personal and widely relatable, and something of modern literature. I was having a conversation with a few friends recently, and we likened Fratino’s work to flipping through the photo album of a romance in the Lost Generation; but a dreamy, emotive twist only someone like Fratino could give. His work is all about the everyday moments that linger in your mind—those small, quiet seconds that somehow capture life’s bigger picture. But they also feel like they best line of poetry you have read. They linger.
What Fratino does so well is create paintings where the world outside momentarily is forgotten. It’s just this moment, time expands. Fratino captures that. There’s a sense of nostalgic warmth in his art, a nod to the memories we all hold dear but might not always speak about. Every canvas is like a page from a diary, filled with stories of love and intimacy, eloquently painted in colors that radiate with joy and longing.
You can spot hints of the greats in his work—Matisse’s bold colors, maybe a bit of Picasso’s form—but Fratino makes them his own. His paintings speak a language that’s both classical and fresh. The tension between these old-school techniques and his contemporary subject matter makes his work stand out in a sea of sameness. He’s not afraid to play with form and perspective, bending them just enough to create something new, something uniquely Fratino.
When you see a Fratino painting, you feel like you’re stepping into a moment—a shared secret between the artist and his subjects, with you as the lucky witness. His depictions of male intimacy aren’t just groundbreaking—they effortlessly they depict the tenderness of queer life. Fratino paints love in its purest forms, unfiltered and honest. It’s this honesty and openness that draws you in, inviting you to linger a bit longer with each piece.
His use of oils is masterful, translating the textures of skin and fabric into something tactile and real. You don’t just see his paintings; you feel them.
As for his career trajectory, it’s a ride that’s only going up. There isn’t a shock factor to consider, just classic painting done really well with the intensity of human life. Louis Fratino’s work is a refreshing reminder of the beauty in the mundane, the power of vulnerability, and the complexity of human connections. That’s the magic. —Evan Pricco
Install photos by @alessandrosaletta // Single work images courtesy of the artist / @sikkemajenkins / @galerie_neu and thank you @sashabogojev for sharing them along to us.
