Carla Accardi was born in Trapani. In 1944 she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo, where she met her colleague and life partner Antonio Sanfilippo. In 1946, after a brief period at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Accardi and Sanfilippo move to Rome. There, they crossed paths with fellow artists Pietro Consagra and Giulio Turcato. This encounter led to a study trip to Paris in the same year, alongside Ugo Attardi and Alfiero Maugeri. The following year, Accardi created her first abstract painting, entitled Scomposizione, and together with Attardi, Consagra, Piero Dorazio, Giovanni Guerrini, Achille Perilli, Sanfilippo and Turcato she gave life to the Gruppo Forma which published the only number of its magazine-manifesto: Forma 1. From 1948 onward, Carla Accardi began showcasing her works in significant solo and group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. Notably, in 1948, she made her debut at the XXIV edition of the Venice Biennale and participated in the Abstract Art exhibition at the Art Club of Rome. However, it wasn’t until 1950 that she held her first solo exhibitions, which took place at the Galleria Numero in Florence and the Libreria l’Age d’Or in Rome. During those years, Accardi actively participated in major exhibitions showcasing young Italian abstract art, organized by the Art Club, such as the Arte d’Oggi exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence and the Abstract and Concrete Art in Italy exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. Until 1952, Accardi’s artistic endeavors were rooted in Concrete Painting, which came from Paris. However, a shift occurred in 1953, as she transitioned her focus towards sign painting, evolving her style to incorporate figures within the earthy color palette. This transition is exemplified in works such as Imaginary Animals.
The subsequent year marked an important encounter for Accardi when she met with the influential French critic Michel Tapié. He positioned her as a key figure within his theorization of “l’art autre” (art of the other) and showcased Accardi’s work in exhibitions he curated between 1954 and 1959, including Individualités d’aujourd’hui (1955) and Structures en devenir (1956). Noteworthy solo exhibitions followed at the Stadler Gallery in Paris in 1956 and at the Galleria Notizie in Turin in 1959. Among Accardi’s participations in significant collective exhibitions, it is worth highlighting her involvement in the exhibition organized on the Tiber Island by the Rome-New York Art Foundation, curated by Frances McCann in 1957, and her solo exhibition at the Galleria La Salita in 1959. During the same period, her solo exhibitions included showcases at the Galleria dell’Ariete in Milan and the Galleria L’Entracte in Lausanne.
By this time, Carla Accardi had firmly established her artistic maturity, solidifying her significant role in the realm of international sign painting. However, the onset of the Sixties ushered in stylistic changes for her. The structure of her signs underwent transformations, while the color palette adopted brighter tones. Her first highly chromatic works were exhibited at the Parma Gallery in New York and at the New Vision Center Gallery in London in 1961. In 1964, she received another invitation, this time earning a personal room at the XXXII edition of the Venice Biennale. These years also marked the inception of Accardi’s experimentation with sicofoil, a transparent plastic material previously unused in the artistic realm. This is how works such as Tenda (1965), Ambiente Arancio (1967) and Triplice tenda (1969-71) were born. Accardi’s exploration of sicofoil continued into the following decade, albeit with less intense colors, occasionally favoring pastel tones. By the mid-1970s, sicofoil was being overlaid with weaves to enhance support, shifting the focus to the frame. In 1976, Carla Accardi was once again at the XXXVII Biennale with her masterpiece Triplice tenda. The advent of the 1980s witnessed yet another artistic transition for Accardi. Returning to canvas, often left in its raw state, she imbued it with vibrant and expansive signs, where even a single color could dominate the composition. From then onward, a succession of personal exhibitions dedicated to Accardi ensued without pause. In 1983, her works were exhibited at the Pinacoteca Comunale in Ravenna and the Pavilion of Contemporary Art in Milan. In 1987, she received another invitation to the XLIII Venice Biennale, where an entire room was devoted to her creations. Furthermore, in 1988, select pieces of her oeuvre were showcased at the Italian Art in the 20th Century exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
In 1994, the Castello di Rivoli dedicated a significant retrospective to her, and in the same year she participated in the exhibition The Italian Metamorphosis 1943-1968 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The 2000s opened with two important anthological exhibitions at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2002) and at the Macro in Rome (2004), while in 2009 some works by Accardi and Fontana were exhibited at Sperone Westwater Gallery in New York. In 2011, the Puglisi Foundation in Catania hosted the exhibition Carla Accardi. Segno e trasparenza. Carla Accardi passed away in Rome at the beginning of 2014. Her works are preserved, among others, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, the Mart in Rovereto, the Mambo in Bologna, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Castello di Rivoli and the Royal Palace of Milan.