Roberto Crippa
1921–1972 · Italian painter and sculptor of abstract art
Roberto Crippa (Monza, 1921 - Bresso, 1972) was an Italian painter and sculptor associated with abstract art of his period. He is best known for his abstract canvases, in which spirals appear against a coloured background, an image that makes his work easy to recognise.
His career unfolded in Italy, where he worked in both painting and sculpture. His compositions of spirals, made on coloured surfaces, form the core of his output and set him apart within the Italian abstract scene.
He died on 19 March 1972 in an air accident at Bresso, a town near Milan. His death cut short a career that was still developing. His legacy rests on those spirals, which remain his most recognisable contribution to postwar Italian abstraction.