Clemente was born in 1952 in Naples, in Campania in southern Italy. In 1970 he enrolled in the faculty of architecture of the Sapienza, the university of Rome, but did not complete a degree there.[3] In Rome he came into contact with contemporary artists such as Luigi Ontani and Alighiero Boetti, who had come to the city at about the same time,[4] and also with the American Cy Twombly, who lived there.[1] Boetti, who was ten years older, became both a friend and a mentor; in 1974 they visited Afghanistan together.[5] With Ontani, Clemente gave performances at the Galleria L'Attico.[6] Despite his close involvement with these artists associated with the Arte povera movement, and his interest in others such as Pino Pascali and Michelangelo Pistoletto, Clemente preferred to work on paper. He made ink drawings of dreams and recollections of his childhood, and in 1971, in his first solo show, exhibited collages at the Galleria Giulia in Rome.[1]
In 1973 Clemente made the first of many visits to India.[1] He established a studio in Madras (now Chennai),[2] and became interested in both the religious and folk traditions of India and in the traditional art and crafts of the country. In 1976 and 1977 he visited the library of the Theosophical Society of Madras to study the religious texts there.[3] In 1980 and 1981 he worked on Francesco Clemente Pinxit, a series of twenty-four gouaches on antique hand-made rag paper, in collaboration with miniature painters from Orissa and Jaipur.[1][3][7]: 88 In 1982 he moved to New York City.[8]. He lives in Greenwich Village.[9]
The highest selling painting by the artist was The Fourteen Stations, No. XI (1981-1982) who sold by $1,860,000 at Christie'sNew York, at 9 May 2022.[11]
^ abcdef[s.n.] (2012). Clemente, Francesco. Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed April 2017. (subscription required)
^ abcdClemènte, Francesco (in Italian). Enciclopedie on line. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed March 2017.
^ abcdefgFrancesco Clemente. Guggenheim. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Accessed March 2017.
^Alex Bacon (3 May 2013). Francesco Clemente in Conversation with Alex Bacon. Brooklyn Rail.
^Francesco Clemente (2012). TateShots: Francesco Clemente on Alighiero Boetti. London: Tate. Accessed April 2017.
^Matthew Gale ([n.d.]). Ontani, Luigi. Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed April 2017. (subscription required)
^Stella Kramrisch (1990). The Twenty-Four Indian Miniatures; in: Ann Percy, Raymond Foye (1990). Francesco Clemente: Three Worlds (exhibition catalogue). Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art. Pages 88–109. ISBN 9780847812974.
^Kurutz, Steven. "What Do Anna Wintour and Bob Dylan Have in Common? This Secret Garden", The New York Times, 28 September 2016. Accessed 3 November 2016. "The house is part of the Macdougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District, a landmarked community of 21 row homes, with 11 lining Macdougal Street and 10 running parallel on Sullivan Street."
^Francesco Clemente: Three Worlds. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art. Archived 30 March 2011.
Seidel, Max. Francesco Clemente: The Tarots. Hirmer Publishers. 2012. ISBN 9783777445212
Clemente, Francesco; Hollein, Max and Walcott, Derek. Francesco Clemente: Palimpsest. Moderne Kunst Nürnberg. 2012. ISBN 9783869842257
Danto, C. Artur. Francesco Clemente: The Sopranos. Charta. 2008. ISBN 9788881586981
Clemente, Francesco; Walcott, Derek. Francesco Clemente: Three Rainbows. Charta. 2009. ISBN 9788881587452
Clemente, Francesco; Danto, Arthur. Francesco Clemente: A Private Geography. Charta. 2011. ISBN 9788881587957
Jain, Jyotindra. Clemente: Made in India. Charta. 2011. ISBN 9788881588091
Ammann, Jean- Christophe; Clemente, Francesco. Francesco Clemente: Works 1971–1979. Charta. 2007. ISBN 9788881586509
Matthews, Harry. Singular Pleasures. Dalkey Archive Press. 1999. ISBN 9781564782335
Clemente, Francesco. Francesco Clemente. Charta. 2000. ISBN 9788881582822
Babini, Luca. Francesco Clemente: Art and Life. Aperture Foundation. 1999. ISBN 9780893818722
Rushdie, Salman. Francesco Clemente: Self Portraits. Gagosian Gallery. 2005. ISBN 9781932598247
Clemente, Francesco. Polaroids, Celebrities and Self-Portraits. Jablonka Galerie. 2001. ISBN 9788391307526
Fahey, David; Clemente, Francesco. Sante D'Orazio: A Private View. Prestel Publishing. 2006. ISBN 9783829602471
Clemente, Francesco. India. Twelvetrees Press. 1989. ISBN 9780942642308
Rimanelli, David. Francesco Clemente Paintings 2000–2003. Gagosian Gallery. 2003. ISBN 9781880154946
Clemente, Francesco. Francesco Clemte: Fifty One Days at Mount Abu. D'Offay, Anthony Gallery. 1999. ISBN 9780947564773
Fischl, Eric; Ammann, Jean-Christophe; Young, Geoffrey; Clemente, Francesco. Eric Fischl: It's Where I look...It's How I See... Their World, My World, The World. Mary Boone Gallery/ Jablonka Gallery. 2009. ISBN 9783931354329
Auping, Michael. Francesco Clemente. Abrams, Harry N., Inc. 1985. ISBN 9780810907720
Colombo, Paulo. Francesco Clemente. Electa. 2006. ISBN 9788837043469
Avedon, Elizabeth. Francesco Clemente. Knopf Publishing Group. 1987. ISBN 9780394747873
Katz, Vincent. Life Is Paradise: The Portraits of Francesco Clemente. Powerhouse Books. 1999. ISBN 9781576870532
McLure, Michael. Francesco Clemente Testa Coda. Rizzoli. 1992. ISBN 9780847814695
Percy, Ann. Francesco Clemente: Three Worlds. Rizzoli. 1990. ISBN 9780847812974
Percy, Ann. Francesco Clemente: Three Worlosi. Philadelphia Museum of Art. 1998. ISBN 9780876330845
Warner, Marina. Francesco Clemente: The Book of the Sea. Gagosian Gallery. 2002. ISBN 9781880154779
Shapiro, David. Francesco Clemente. Parkett Verlag AG. 1986. ISBN 9783907509593
Valli, Giambattista. Giambattista Valli. Rizzoli. 16 October 2012. ISBN 9780847835713
Denninson, Lisa. Clemente: A Retrospective. Abrams, Harry N., Inc. 1999. ISBN 9780810969179
Crone, Rainer. Francesco Clemente: Pastelle 1972–1983 Prestel Verlag GmbH & Co KG. 1984.ISBN 9783791306421
Eccher, Danilo. Francesco Clemente. Allemandi, Umberto & Company. 1999. ISBN 9788842209171
Walcott, Derek. A Conversion, exhibition catalogue. Deitch Projects, New York, Edizioni Charta, Milano 2009.
Rushdie, Salman. Being Francesco Clemente, in: Francesco Clemente: Self Portraits, exhibition catalogue. New York: Gagosian Gallery, 2006. Pages 5–10.
Kort, Pamela. Francesco Clemente in Conversation with Pamela Kort, New York, 26 March 2011; in: Francesco Clemente, Palimpsest, exhibition catalogue. Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, 2011.