15/04/2026
New in Fine Art Exhibition by Alena Gastaldi “En Plein Air” 12 April – 31 May 2025
Meet the Artist: Thursday, 23 April - 18.00-20.00
Address: ZithaKlinik 20-30 Rue d'Anvers, 1st floor, 1130 Luxembourg
About the artist:
Alena Gastaldi is a classically trained figurative and plein air painter based in Luxembourg. Academic painting, drawing, and sculpture were integral parts of her six-year architecture studies, and she continued to develop them after graduation. She later spent a year studying with the internationally renowned watercolourist Thomas M. Schaller and is currently a regular student at Studio Escalier in France, a private school known for its rigorous academic curriculum, where she has studied under Nicole Michelle Tully and Tobias M. Hall, accomplished American painters.
Her work captures the character of contemporary life through direct observation, preserving fleeting moments and cultural narratives with a strong foundation in traditional technique. Working across oil and watercolour, she is guided by subject rather than medium, painting scenes that reflect her immediate surroundings. Influenced by her Russian training, years spent in Southeast Asia, and a background in restoration, architecture, and narrative-driven interior design, she balances structural precision with a sensitive, evolving approach to colour and atmosphere.
The majority of the works in this exhibition are created en plein air - painted outdoors, in a tradition that has been central to artistic practice for generations - or developed from smaller observational studies. Working with portable equipment, this method demands both preparation and immediacy. Light is fleeting, weather conditions shift, and each painting must be resolved within a limited and often unpredictable window of time.
Painted directly from life, these works translate the complexity of a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface, balancing colour, structure, and atmosphere. This process unfolds in the midst of everyday activity, where movement, sound, and distraction become part of the act of observation.
Plein air painting calls for sustained attention, discipline, and adaptability. It is a practice grounded as much in physical presence and endurance as in perception - at times approaching the intensity of a sport. She regularly participates in plein air competitions in Ireland, where her work has been regularly recognised by juries and colleagues.
Alena’s work is held in private collections worldwide, from Australia, China and Singapore to Europe andthe United States. She has exhibited in Singapore, Russia, Belgium, Ireland, France, and Luxembourg. Her most recent exhibitions include:
27 Feb – 08 Mar 2026 - Solo Exhibition, Maison Schauwenburg, Bertrange, Luxembourg (by invitation of the commune)
Feb 2026 - Art Capital, Salon des Artistes Français, Grand Palais, Paris, France - Honorable Mention and Prix Sennelier
