Marco Tirelli (born 1956) is an Italian contemporary artist known for his evocative, meditative imagery at the intersection of illusion and reality. Trained in theatrical set design at Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts , Tirelli constructs a poetic visual universe of geometric forms and stark chiaroscuro that delves into the labyrinth of memory. His drawings, sculptures, and large-scale paintings transform architectural and historical references into subdued, mystical compositions influenced by metaphysical art traditions (notably de Chirico and Morandi). Emerging in the 1980s as part of Rome’s “Nuova Scuola Romana” (New Roman School) art movement, Tirelli developed an allegorical vocabulary of forms that evoke personal and collective memories.

Tirelli gained international recognition with a dedicated room in the “Aperto ’82” exhibition at the 1982 Venice Biennale. He went on to participate in the Biennale again in 1990 and in 2013 (representing Italy with a large-scale Studiolo installation). His work has also been featured in other global biennials, including Sydney (1990) and São Paulo (1991). Major surveys of his art have been mounted at institutions such as the Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt (2002) and MACRO in Rome (2012). Tirelli is a member of the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca in Rome , and his works reside in prominent museum collections worldwide , among them MAXXI: Museo nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo (Rome), the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (Rome), the Albertina (Vienna), and the Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK) in Vienna.