Sandra Rigali

Sandra Rigali is an Italian contemporary painter based in Tuscany, where tradition, memory and pop culture collide.

Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, she mixes classical painting with bold color fields, raw textures, collage, gold leaf and handwritten words. Her works feel tactile, layered and alive — halfway between fresco and street art, poetry and everyday life.

Women, landscapes and cultural icons become emotional portraits: strong, vulnerable, ironic, human.

Inspired by both Renaissance heritage and Instagram speed, Rigali developed her signature “Instapainting” process — slow, physical painting that captures fast contemporary life.

Her works have been exhibited in museums, public spaces and international venues, from Italy to Chicago and London.

Each piece is a fragment of story, color and memory — meant to be felt before being explained.

Art High School (Liceo Artistico), Lucca, Italy
Academy of Fine Arts, Florence, Italy – Painting Diploma, 1988
Additional training in restoration techniques and traditional materials

2025 – Big and Small – Palazzo Comunale – Barga, Italy
2024 – Puccini e Pascoli – Note ai margini – Casa Museo Giovanni Pascoli – Barga, Italy
2024 – Chi pose tanta forza nel tuo cuor? – Palazzo delle Esposizioni – Lucca, Italy
2022 – Made in Pop – MAACMARMI Gallery – Carrara, Italy
2022 – Ariosto22 – Rocca Ariostesca – Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italy
2021 – #DantePOP – Vittoriale degli Italiani – Gardone Riviera, Italy
2017–2018 – Magnifiche Presenze – multiple museum venues – Italy
Selected exhibitions in Chicago (USA), London (UK), Milan and Pietrasanta