Nexus of opposites

Francesco Clemente (born Naples 1952) began his rise to prominence in this country with two exhibitions at the Royal Academy — the famous New Spirit in Painting of 1981, when figuration was officially relaunched on London (though for some it had never gone away); and Italian Art in the 20th Century eight years later. A third RA venture was a Clemente solo show in 1991, a touring exhibition entitled Three Worlds, memorable as much for its plethora of exciting and witty images (many in pastel or watercolour), as for the beautiful girls thronging the private view. Clemente has long been a fashion icon; in him popular art and high art meet and mingle. His world is a nexus of opposites: the historical and contemporary, abstract and narrative, masculine and feminine, human and animal; and, most importantly, spiritual and material.

This is the first Clemente exhibition in England for seven years, and it looks pretty impressive.