Behind the easel
Roots: Art, Nature and Inspiration from Patagonia
Born in 1985 in the Comarca Andina —a wild and evocative region of Argentine Patagonia— Nicolás Retrivi Mora is a professional visual artist, painter, and craftsman with over twenty years of experience. Son of an art teacher and a cultural event organizer, he grew up surrounded by untouched nature and a deeply creative family. This context shaped his personal, artistic, and spiritual growth, and from an early age Nicolás explored art in all its form: drawing, painting, sculpture, and music.
Education, Experimentation, Style
His earliest ink and pen works already revealed a strong interest in symbolism and surrealism which would continue to shape his unique artistic voice in the years to come. With the transition to acrylic painting on canvas, Nicolás began developing a distinctly personal style, encapsulated in what he calls “figurative abstraction”. This balance between figuration and abstraction blends evocative atmospheres, dynamic forms and vibrant colors, resulting in an expressive and emotionally charged visual language, always anchored in sensory experience.
He held his first solo exhibition as a teenager at La Casa de la Cultura in El Bolsón, his hometown, marking the beginning of a lifelong artistic journey that continues to evolve.
The European Chapter and Artistic Growth
In 2006, Nicolás embarked on a life-changing journey to Europe. Spain played a key role in his artistic path: the days spent painting outdoors, the frequent visit to iconic museums such as the Reina Sofía, Prado, and Thyssen-Bornemisza, deepened his connection to the great masters of the past, influencing his artistic growth. He exhibited in small independent galleries, public venues and cultural spaces across Málaga, Valencia, and Madrid, while refining his style through en-plein-air painting in vibrant urban settings.
During this period, he also began creating his signature hand-painted wooden fans, a unique project that gained international recognition and become part of several private collections around the world. The success he received allowed him to live off his art, travel across Europe, and return regularly to his homeland.
Today: The Artist in Rome with a Global Vision
Since 2009, Nicolás has been living with his family in Rome, where he established his personal atelier and continues his artistic career with an increasingly international outlook. He collaborates with private collectors, galleries, and film productions: his work ranges from commissioned portraits, scenes of intimate or everyday life, symbolic and abstract art, and live event paintings. Each piece is handcrafted using traditional oil and acrylic techniques, offering clients and collectors truly original, meaningful artworks.
Today, Nicolás is recognized for his distinctive style, poetic use of color, and the ability to transform emotion into visual form, creating authentic, tangible art that speaks to the heart through material, gesture, and color.
An Ongoing Artistic Exploration
Throughout his evolving career, Nicolás has remained true to his core: creating sincere, original art that blends inner worlds and the vivid experience of the present. The reality dissolves into forms, colors, and suggestive atmospheres, yet always remains anchored in visual and sensory depth. His artistic expression is in constant motion, but authenticity, passion, and originality remain at the core of every new project.
Solo and Group Exhibitions
Little Van Gogh, Confindustria Roma e Firenze
Fondirigenti di Roma
Leasplan, EuropecarLease, Monteblanco, Biocare Europe, Daiichi Sankyo, Safo Sistemi, Leasys, F&S Consulting
Studio del Notaio Calissoni, DMA Consulting, Studio Angelucci, Asiccurazioni Unitas
Studio di Piero Di Pasquale, Foro Traiano, Roma
Febbraio 2017, Roma, teatro “Il Girasole”. Esposizione personale in contemporanea con lo spettacolo musicale “Luci e paillettes” di Carla Sanna.
Maggio 2017, Cosenza, galleria “Le Muse”. Esposizione personale “Roma senza tempo”.
Agosto 2017, Toscana. Live painting in Villa Dievole Wine Resort, prov. Siena.
Settembre 2017, Roma. “Summer music Art” mostra collettiva nello spazio Area Contesa di via Margutta
22-30 Settembre 2017, Roma. Prima mostra personale, “Honrar La vida”, nella Galleria della storica Biblioteca Angelica, Piazza di Sant’Agostino 8.
Gennaio 2018, Firenze. Mostra colletiva nel Palazzo Ximenes Pantiachi, Primo premio “Pitturiamo”.
Aprile 2018, Roma. Mostra Colletiva nella Galleria Della Biblioteca Angelica, insieme a Natino Chirico, Aldo Turchiaro, Lilo Messina, Turi Sottile, Baccelieri, Meri, Gianni Testa.
