Vortici at Gallerie d'Italia: Alexi Worth in Dialogue with Ancient

Vortici: contemporary painting meets ancient ceramics

The Gallerie d'Italia in Naples presents Vortici, an exhibition that stages a conversation between the contemporary works of Alexi Worth and Attic and Magna Graecian ceramics from the Caputi Collection. The display brings together nine canvases by the American artist and four selected vases from the nineteenth-century archaeological collection.

Curated by Silvia Gaspardo Moro and Richard Neer, the show highlights the social and symbolic aspects of drinking in antiquity and reinterprets them through modern imagery that probes figure-silhouette relationships, realism versus abstraction, and the interplay between object and background.

• Dates: April 3–5, 2026
• Venue: Gallerie d'Italia, Naples
• Works on display: 9 canvases by Alexi Worth and 4 vases from the Caputi Collection
• Curators: Silvia Gaspardo Moro and Richard Neer (University of Chicago)
• Themes: ancient symposium, gestures of drinking, dialogues between past and present

The exhibition layout echoes the role of the cratera at ancient symposia: the vases occupy a central position as focal elements, while Worth's paintings line the walls, taking the place of guests. Worth employs airbrush techniques and a muted palette—blacks and terracotta tones—that create a suspended atmosphere between figurative clarity and abstraction.

Visitor tips: allow 30–45 minutes to fully engage with the visual and thematic connections between the archaeological objects and contemporary canvases. For opening hours and ticket information, consult the official Gallerie d'Italia website or the event's communications.

About Alexi Worth: New York–based artist and art critic (born 1964), Worth is known for pared-down reinterpretations of everyday items—wine glasses, hands, doors—rendered from unusual viewpoints. His work has been recognized with awards and fellowships from international cultural institutions.