Guido Maestri, born 1974, is a contemporary Australian painter and sculptor of expressive, textural works that centre gesture and raw materiality. Immersing himself in the rugged landscapes of Hill End, Wilcannia, and Broken Hill, Maestri reinterprets traditional European plein air painting for the harsh Australian interior. His work balances a kinetic, animated application of paint with a quiet stillness, capturing the delicate balance between humanity, memory, and ancient ecologies.
In 2021, Maestri was honoured with a major solo exhibition titled ‘Stories from Homedale’ at his hometown’s new Mudgee Arts Precinct, NSW. A graduate of the National Art School, Sydney, he has received numerous awards and residencies over the years, notably the Kings School Art Prize in 2014, the Premier’s Plein Air Painting Prize in 2013, and the prestigious Archibald Prize in 2009. He has also been a consistent finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Major public and private collections hold Maesti’s work including the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra; Artbank, Australia; the Fubon Art Foundation, Taiwan; the Art Gallery of New South Wales; the Art Gallery of South Australia; and Parliament House, Canberra.
Maestri lives and works in the rural Australian landscape foundational to his practice. In 2025 he moved to a house on Pittwater, Ku-ring-gai National Park, accessible only by boat.