MARIO CEI

Mario Cei is an artist that expresses his creativity through different media: painting, drawing and sculpture.
He was born in Vicenza, Italy, from a tuscan family.
As a child he attended the school "Piccolo palcoscenico" (eng. The small stage), where his mother worked as compère (organizer), and at the same time followed his father's footsteps learning to play piano and developing a passion for painting and drawing.
After high school in 1980, led by the famous Italian actor Ernesto Calindri, he graduated at the prestigeous acting school "Accademia filodrammatici di Milano", winning the Accademia's special prize.
He worked as an actor on productions directed by many important names of the italian scene like Sandro Sequi, Nanni Loy, Federico Fellini, Guido De Monticelli, Lamberto Puggelli, Gigi Proietti, Luca Ronconi, performing classic and contemporary authors, such as Shakespeare, Giovanni Testori, Sofocle, Euripide, Vittorio Alfieri, D' Annunzio and Vincenzo Cerami.
He has an intense collaboration with RAI- the swiss-italian radio.
He performed many readings of many authors and poets, often together with Alessandro Quasimodo, son of the famous italian poet Salvatore.
He has been the voice in Melologhi's concert for orchestra and piano solo, and recently he began song writing.
In 2003 he wrote and performed "Boum! Je chante Trenet!" to critical aclaim. This show was a tribute to the french songwriter and poet Trenet and included some of his most famous songs (in CD, MAP 2003) in the original language.
He created and performed, directed by Filippo Crivelli, "Prévert mon ami", a show with text and songs by Jacques Prévert.

One of the most renowned works of his artistic career is the bronze sculpture of Paride Lodron, Archbishop of Salisbury, ordered in 2004 by the Comune of Villa Lagarina (TN). Also, the ten tavole in Indian ink and watercolours for the volume Epigrammi by Salvatore Quasimodo (Nicolodi editore, Rovereto novembre 2004).
As an artist he aspires to a represent the more complex aspects of an individual's personality, going beyond mere physical resemblance.

Expositions:
Milano: Studio Panigati 1985; Milano: La Bottega dei sogni 1990; Povoletto (UD): ARTETEATRO 1997 (collective exhibition); Milano: Spazio Lainati 1998 (collettiva); Alberobello (BA): L' Endice 2004; Milano: Libreria Bocca giugno 2005; Seregno (MI): Galleria Olga 2005; Genova: Artrégallery dicembre 2007- febbraio 2008 (collettiva); Monza: Oasi di San Gerardo giugno 2008 (collettiva); Genova: Artrégallery SUCCESSI dicembre 2008 (collettiva: Il Copriwater nell' Arte); Sesto San Giovanni: Centro Sergio Valmaggi, aprile 2009; Montpellier: Diario di bordo primavera 2009 (collettiva).