ArtWall Vernissage and Exhibition: Visions. Shakespeare. Scenes.

8 April – 21 May, 2026

Vernissage: 8 April, 2026, 6:00–8:00 PM

The painter Alvaro de Taddeo (b. 1957) from Basel attended the Humanistic Gymnasium, Muensterplatz Basel, completed a preparatory course at the Basel School of Arts and Crafts and then an apprenticeship as a window dresser. From 1999 to 2022 he worked part-time to pay his living expenses and otherwise devoted himself to his artistic work He has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in the Greater Basel area.

The main source for his image inventions is literature. His working method therefore requires a lot of time, because his images do not arise spontaneously but are the result of a long thought process. His method involves a lot of reading and meditation leading him to developing the image idea over many years; following Theodor Adorno: ‘Art is magic, freed from the lie of being truth.’

Since his original interest was to work on stained glass, he initially began experimenting with the technique of collage using images made from black cardboard and transparent coloured paper. He was interested in religious themes in the style of traditional Christian church windows and mosaics. In 1990 he began to paint pictures in watercolour and gouache on cardboard.

In his painted works the firmly outlined black contour and the monochrome surface have been retained as stylistic devices but his themes expanded to include ancient myths, classical theatre and views from Italy and Basel. In the flat compositions, without effects of depth and avoiding volume, the figurative scenes are executed with drawing skill and nuanced colour sense.

He captures the movements of his figures, often  from William Shakespeare’s plays, with skilfully flowing lines and perspective foreshortenings of the bodies. He plays with both the degree of stylisation and the richness of detail in the individual image elements – inspired by French Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Jugendstil, as well as by Baroque visual ideas.

In his latest exhibition (8 April – 21 May) for Centrepoint he will compile artworks with picture cycles from Shakespeare’s works as well as visions from the Bible and views of the city of Basel.

Opening Hours:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 09:00 – 13:00

Wednesday: 09:00 – 13:00

Thursday: 09:00 –17:00

Friday:  09:00 – 15:00

Saturday: Open on the first Saturday of each month, 11:00 –13:00

Free access for members and non-members

Address: Centrepoint, Im Lohnhof 8, 4051 Basel, www.centrepoint.ch