Alessandro Del Piero – Juventus Football Player, Uefa Champions League 1996

Alessandro Del Piero – Juventus Football Player, UEFA Champions League 1996
Marco Silombria (Savona, 1936 – Albissola, 2017)
Charcoal on paper, signed and dated ’96
Dimensions: 101 × 72 cm

Unique piece from the series Marco Silombria dedicated to Juventus’ historic 1996 UEFA Champions League victory. A leading figure of Italian Pop Art, Silombria combined the striking visual impact of his background in advertising design with the monumentality of figures inspired by classical antiquity.

Del Piero, then a rising star and symbol of the team, is captured mid-action — a body rendered with almost sculptural precision, reflecting the artist’s fascination with athletic power and the male form as symbols of strength and heroism. The composition elevates the player into a true sports icon.

Painter, sculptor, and advertising graphic designer, Silombria began his career in Turin in the 1950s, working alongside masters such as Emilio Scanavino and Lucio Fontana. In the 1960s and 70s, he created campaigns for major Italian brands — notably Fiat, Superga, and Facis — forging ties with the Agnelli family, historic owners of Juventus. In the 1980s, his work embraced a pop and Dionysian spirit, inspired by Greco-Roman myths and the world of sports, producing iconic images blending strength, sensuality, and formal rigor.