Contemporary abstract paintings and works on paper by Francesco Agresti are on view at Browne Art through June 26, 2026 with a special exhibition at the Dali Museum on June 5th
Browne Art is pleased to present Emancipation, a solo exhibition of luminous abstract paintings by Italian-born, New York–trained artist Francesco Agresti, who has lived and worked in Florida since 2003. Shaped by his meditations on Florida’s coastal light and atmosphere, Agresti’s paintings and works on paper include notations of seagrasses, deep blue waters, and golden sunrises.
This exhibition marks a pivotal moment in Agresti’s artistic evolution (see: artist biography). Known for the rigorous geometric compositions and textural surfaces of his early career, his recent body of work is looser, freer, and more joyful than ever. In this late career retrospective, Emancipation, Agresti re-emerges at age 76, transformed by life experience—a crucible of love, loss, celebration and rejection—all of which is embedded in the lyrical abstractions on view at 260 1st Ave South. In his most recent works, high aesthetic fluency is apparent in the melding of expressionistic styles and in the greater simplicity of spacious compositions. It is clear that after five decades of practice, Agresti has finally arrived at the pinnacle of his craft.
The works give us glimpses of a highly sensitive artist’s inner world. Through each, Agresti takes us on a journey of emancipation — from confinement, into the crucible, and toward escape. Let us take a tour the seminal work, Fontainebleau, to see how this narrative unfolds.
Three Stages:
1. Confinement
The journey begins at the painting’s edge, because in Agresti’s world, edges function as thresholds — the entry point to submersion. The artist uses veneer tape to distinguish the border zones from the interior, along with multiple subtle transitions between colors. Another signature element in Agresti’s work are the stacked horizontal bands across the bottom of each tableau— what he calls the predella, borrowed from Renaissance altarpiece painting. All of these devices are visible in Fontainebleau.
2. Crucible
Once inside the border, the atmosphere shifts. Contained inside the painting’s interior, you may experience the full intensity of the world Agresti has created, through variations of line, texture, and color. There is a richness here like the crescendo of a symphony or wind accelerating through trees. Intensity mounts along with this textural variability, heightening sensation and emotion.
3. Escape
Eventually, when the container of the painting feels too full, you begin searching for an exit—a doorway or a window—a quiet passage delivering you from overflow to peace.
In Fontainebleau, two exits present themselves. The first follows the zone where air gathers toward the top of the canvas, where brushwork separates and density dissolves. The second appears in the lower right, where a portion of the predella is left bare white—as if a door has been left open.
Emancipation is not achieved by turning away from intensity, but by passing fully through it.
Containment gives structure. The crucible deepens sensation. Escape opens space. Light returns only after integration—when experience has been fully felt and carried to clarity. In this way, Agresti shows us that freedom is not the absence of feeling, but its completion.
Emancipation by Francesco Agresti is on view at Browne Art through June 26, 2026 with a special exhibition at the Dali Museum on June 5th as part of the Dali Dozen Ten Year anniversary. Browne Art is located on the third floor of Station House at 260 1st Ave S, Ste 200-197, St Petersburg, FL 33701. Access to the elevator is available through the lobby of Bad Mother Cafe or from the street entrance on 1st Ave S. Public hours are Thursday-Friday 12-6 and Saturday 10-4.
Plan your visit to see this exhibition.
Links:
1. Most important, has everything
→ Plan your visit to see this exhibition.
2. Secondary
→ Attend the Dali Dozen exhibition on June 5th.
→ For artwork pricing, please contact the gallery.
3. Other resources, if people want to go directly to these parts of the website.
