Roberto Rizzo was born in Cernusco sul Naviglio (Milan) in 1967.
He started painting in 1985 and has been exhibiting since 1986. He currently lives and works in Milan.
He graduated in 1989 from Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan.
Among the main exhibitions, the solo Roberto Rizzo – Paintings in Milan in 2002, Painting the Present in London in 2005 and in Milan in 2006, Meridiani e paralleli in Milan in 2016, De posizione in Milan e La reinvenzione del quadro in Figino Serenza (Como) in 2020, Bête comme un peintre in Milan in 2023 and the group Art Diggers in Trieste in 1986, De Pictura Picta in Cusano Milanino (Milan) in 1990, Milano. Milano in Dublin and La fabbrica estetica in Paris in 1993, Astrattamente in Venice in 1995, Periscopio 2002 in Milan, Sei in Mantua, Pitturastratta 1900-2000 in Milan and Astrazione Zero in several Italian venues in 2002, Le figure mancanti in Turin in 2003, Compendium in London, Mutevoli confini in Rome, New Abstractions in Rotterdam and Astrattamente in Milan in 2004, Pittura Aniconica in Mantua in 2008, Astrazione: Nuovi episodi in Milan in 2009, Continua la pittura in Chiavari (Genoa) in 2010, Chronos in Cortenuova (Bergamo) in 2017, Apparizioni in Lana (Bolzano) in 2018, Il carattere riflessivo della pittura in Finale Ligure (Savona) in 2020, Florilegio Italiano in Montecatini Terme (Pistoia) in 2024.
His work is in the collections of the Benaki Museum in Athens and the MO.C.A. – Montecatini Contemporary Art Museum in Montecatini Terme (Pt).
Essays on his work were written by Giovanni Maria Accame, Angela Madesani and Barry Schwabsky, among the others. Texts by him were published in a number of art books and catalogues including Parola d’artista. Dall’esperienza aniconica: scritti di artisti italiani 1960-2006 edited by Giovanni Maria Accame, 2007.
In 2007 he started the project “Forma sostenibile” (Sustainable Form) to overcome postmodern neoformalistic and neoconceptual academisms.
He taught in 2011-2013 at Accademia di Belle Arti in Perugia, in 2014-2016 at Accademia di Belle Arti in Lecce, in 2016-2019 at Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence and in 2019-2021 at Accademia di Belle Arti in Urbino.
Since 2021 he has been teaching at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan.