In 1957 he held his first solo exhibition at the Galleria Bergamini in Milan, which was followed shortly thereafter by another solo show at the Salone Annunciata in Milan in 1959. At the XXXII Venice Biennale in 1964, Aricò exhibited the work Trittico dellaistenza. The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome became one of the first institutions to add his work to their collection when they acquired Le "simultanee forme" di Delaunay in 1965. He was invited again to present at the Venice Biennale in 1968. The following year, Deson-Zacks Gallery in Chicago hosted a solo exhibition of Aricò's work.[1]
He continued to exhibit extensively and expand his oeuvre. In the early 1970s, Aricò explored reinterpretations of traditional art history concepts and architectural archetypes. He began using thin layers of spray paint, superimposed in drops of color to create a final monochrome result. During the 1980s, Aricò was invited to exhibit at the Venice Biennale, both in 1980 and 1986.[2] The artist's solo exhibitions during the 1990s reflect more on the relationship with space, understood as "drama" and an element of materiality in the making. Along with his artworks, Aricò also intensified his theoretical activity, combining the writings inherent to his work with visionary and fantastic tales of an autobiographical nature.
From 1979 to 2000 Aricò was professor of theatre and set design at the Brera Academy in Milan.[3]
Aricò died in Milan on 22 June 2002.
In 2005, the Institut Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt held a major retrospective of his work.[4]
Im Element. Die Kraft des Kosmischen und des Irdischen im Werk von Rodolfo Aricò und Rudi Wach,Kaiserliche Hofburg Innsbruck, Innsbruck; Palazzo Trivulzio, Melzo, 2003.
