Premio Combat Prize

Born in Parma, Italy, in 1965, Villicich studied music, dance and visual arts, receiving professional training in classical ballet from the age of twelve under the direction of the great dancers Liliana Cosi and Marinel Stefanescu as well as completing a diploma as ‘Maestro d’Arte’ in Fine Arts at the Istituto d’Arte ‘Gaetano Chierici’ in Reggio Emilia.

After finishing his education, Villicich embarked on a career in ballet becoming a principal dancer and, from the age of thirty, an international freelance guest principal artist, performing in many places around the world including England, Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Japan and Italy. Despite this intense lifestyle, Villicich always found time to express himself through the visual arts. In 1997, at the height of his dance career, Villicich was invited to exhibit his paintings in his first solo exhibition in Windsor, England.

In 2003, Villicich decided to leave his dance career and the ballet world to dedicate his artistry entirely to painting. After a period of two years spent in a studio in the mountains of northern Italy, Villicich then moved to Perth in 2006 with his fiancée who joined the West Australian Ballet as a dancer. Villicich held his inaugural exhibition in Australia in 2008 which was opened by the Minister for Culture and the Arts, The Hon. Sheila McHale, who also wrote the foreword for the forty page catalogue published in conjunction with this exhibition. He then went on to hold several solo and group exhibitions in Perth and interstate.

Both Villicich’s art and career have been featured in various newspapers and magazines including The Times (London), Corriere della Sera (Milan) as well as The West Australian and the Sunday Times in Perth. His paintings are part of collections around the world including Italy, France, England, Germany, Canada, United States, South Africa, China, Japan and Australia.

Villicich is represented by Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth, Western Austra