Culturalee is curating a solo exhibition of Italian abstract artist Monica Maja Richardson in Notting Hill. London-based artist Monica Maja Richardson draws inspiration from her Italian roots and the arrival of spring for her new solo exhibition Primavera. Monica Maja Richardson: Primavera is curated by Culturalee Founder Lee Sharrock and will feature a series of bold new large-scale canvases and smaller paintings that are both a celebration of nature and a reflection of Richardson’s abstract expressionist influences.
The exhibition’s title Primavera is a nod to Richardson’s Italian roots and conjures up images of Botticelli’s famed Renaissance panel painting depicting the Three Graces, Mercury, Zephyr and other figures from classical mythology in an abundant garden, acting as an allegory for the arrival of spring. Richardson’s colourful palette of pinks, yellows, greens, blues and reds applied with loose brushstrokes evokes a chorus of crocuses, dancing daffodils and vibrant violets. Some of the paintings have Italian-inspired titles, such as Poesia (Poetry) and La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life), inspired by Fellini’s iconic 1960 cinematic ode to Rome.
Richardson’s new collection of Primavera paintings brings to mind Louise Gluck’s Primavera poem:
Spring comes quickly: overnight
the plum tree blossoms,
the warm air fills with bird calls.
In the plowed dirt, someone has drawn a picture of the sun
with rays coming out all around
but because the background is dirt, the sun is black.
There is no signature.
Alas, very soon everything will disappear:
the bird calls, the delicate blossoms. In the end,
even the earth itself will follow the artist’s name into oblivion.
Nevertheless, the artist intends
a mood of celebration.
How beautiful the blossoms are—emblems of the resilience of life.
The birds approach eagerly.
As well as being inspired by Italian culture, Richardson draws inspiration from abstract expressionist artists including Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler.
“Primavera is the Italian word for Spring, symbolising renewal, growth, and the blossoming of life. And that’s exactly the reason I’ve chosen it as a title for my new solo exhibition: Primavera is a celebration of life’s endless cycle of renewal—where each work is a reflection of nature’s quiet yet powerful rebirth, captured through colour, form, and emotion. It is a reflection of my journey through transformation—where every brushstroke is a new beginning, and every colour blossoms with the promise of renewal.” Monica Maja Richardson
A self-taught artist, Richardson had a successful career in Italy as a TV presenter before moving to the UK and settling in London where she pursued her passion for painting, a seed that was sown when she smelled the scent of her Uncle’s paints as a child.Richardson has had several solo exhibitions in London and exhibited at art fairs, and her works have been acquired for art collections in France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
Curator Lee Sharrock comments: “Monica Maja Richardson’s vibrant palette, bold use of colour and confident brushstrokes combine to create uplifting canvases that put a spring in your step when you experience them. Primavera is both a nod to Richardson’s Italian heritage and appreciation of its rich culture and art history, and an ode to Spring, rebirth and new beginnings. I’m happy to be curating Monica’s new exhibition in Notting Hill.”
Monica Maja Richardson: Primavera is at 19 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU from 27th May until 8th June, 2025.
