In mid-November 2024, Robert Hromec won the prestigious international competition COMEL „Alluminio, sotto la supeficie“ in Italy and, based on the recommendation of an expert jury, among more than 350 works from around the world, he received the Premio COMEL 2024 award, which recognizes the creative use of aluminum in art.
The unique result of his artistic processing of aluminum is his „coffee table“ SUSSURRI, which has its world premiere in an exhibition at the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum.
“Allegria”
Robert Hromec presents “Allegria” at the Danubiana Meulensteen Museum of Art, a series of works celebrating the joy of a new beginning through an innovative artistic language that merges technique and spirituality. His unique printpainting technique on aluminum plates transforms the metallic support into a vibrant surface where light, matter, and color converge in an ongoing dialogue.
The works on display explore the theme of silent communication, where faces and figures emerge and dissolve in a play of transparencies and overlays. Through a complex process that includes drilling, engraving, sandblasting, and layering of colors, Hromec creates multi-dimensional works where the metallic surface becomes an integral part of the artistic message.
The title “Allegria” is not just an expression of joy but a declaration of intent: it represents the power of art to transform human experience into a moment of spiritual elevation. The faces in dialogue, the interwoven hands, and the figures emerging from matter bear witness to a communication that transcends words, touching the essence of human experience.
The artist’s innovative technique, which combines industrial procedures with painterly sensitivity, creates works that are both physical objects and metaphysical spaces. The aluminum plates, crafted with near-surgical precision, become living surfaces where light plays a fundamental role, creating reflections and optical illusions that enrich the visual experience.
Alberto Desirò
AD Gallery, Florence
Robert Hromec (1970) received his MFA degree in painting from Hunter College in New York (1998) and his BA degree in printmaking from The City College of New York (1995). He studied fine arts at the Pratt Institute (1990–91); and worked at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (1992–1998). Hromec was awarded a London Exchange Grant to study fine arts at The Slade School of Fine Art in London. During his eight-year stay in New York City, Hromec experimented with mixing various art techniques to achieve his unique art language, which he calls “printpainting.” Optical illusion plays an important role in his latest printpaintings, with aluminum plate used as the base. In December 2013, Cantor Art Press New York published the book “Robert Hromec: New Mixed-Media Paintings on Aluminum Plate”. The book can be found in the libraries of the most important US museums. In 2016, he designed the intarsia sideboard SILENZIO, a limited edition of 21 pieces for Laura Meroni, IT. For over the last 10 years, Hromec has been cooperating with italian based galleries and curators such as Arianna Grava, Maurizio Vanni, Letizia Rostagno, Alberto Desirò, Martina Campese, Francesca Ciampa; the Area 35 Art Gallery in Milano; AD gallery in Florence.
www.hromec.com
