He is considered one of the main exponents of Italian abstract and kinetic art. Since the late 1950s he has been interested in plastic structures and visual cognitions in the industrial field, attending studies of architects and engineers. In these years he also realized the first aluminum works.
He is the protagonist of the story of programmed and gestalt art between the sixties and seventies, thanks also to Giulio Carlo Argan's critical and theoretical support.
Attending the Milanese artistic environment forges friendship ties with Piero Manzoni and Lucio Fontana who acquires some of his works.
His artistic training is close, by constitution, cultural attraction and friendship, to masters such as Josef Albers, Konrad Wachsmann and Max Bill with whom he collaborates.
In 1961 he exhibited for the first time abroad with a staff at the Mala Galerija in Ljubljana, followed in 1962 by the exhibition at Zagreb's Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti and Ulm Studio.
In the same year, he participated in the Arte Programmata exhibition in Venice, Rome, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen and Zero at the Diogenes Gallery in Berlin.
In these years Alviani comes into contact with artists such as Gerhard Richter, Julio Le Parc, Francois Morellet and Enrico Castellani.
In 1963 he exhibited at the Stadtisches Museum Schloss Morsbroich in Leverkusen.
In 1964 he participated for the first time at the Venice Biennale by dividing a room with Enrico Castellani.
In the same year he also took part in the exhibition Nouvelles Tendences at the Louvre Palace in Paris and in 1965 at the collective The Responsive Eye at MoMA in New York, dedicated to the kinetic and programmed art, with a work purchased by the Museum and chosen as a manifesto of Next show "The New Acquisitions".
At the same time, he realized the first “Stanze-ambienti” with vibrating surface walls.
In 1968 he was invited to exhibit at Documenta 4 in Kassel a large vibrating surface. From 1981 to 1985 he directed the Museum of Modern Art in Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela, at the request of Jesús-Raphael Soto.
In 1984, 1986 and 1993 he exhibited at the Venice Biennale. He exhibited, among the countless exhibitions, the Triennale of Milan, the Kunsthaus in Graz, the Palazzo delle Papesse in Siena, the Académie de France in Rome, the Buenos Aires Biennial and the itinerant exhibition "Light, movement and programming" that took place in the main German museums.
At the end of 2004 there is an important anthology of his work at the GAMeC - Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Bergamo. In 2005 he was invited to the XIV Fourth Annual Exhibition of Art in Rome.
In 2007 he is present at the group exhibition '50 - '60 Sculpture in Italy at Villa d'Este, Tivoli, exhibiting works from the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome.
In recent years, he has also been involved in the cure of texts and exhibitions concerning the protagonists of structural and visual research of international level, collaborating mainly with museums in Eastern Europe, and is very active in the field of architectural design and design.

2010
“Spazio.Tempo.Immagine”,CIAC, Centro Italyno Arte Contemporanea, Foligno, Perugia, Italy

2009
“Accardi / Alviani / Castellani –Il linguaggio si fa spazio”, Santo Picara, Milan, Italy
“Leggere dagli anni '60: da Milan al Gruppo N di Padova”, Kanalidarte, Brescia, Italy
“Una Merda nel cuore e amici”, Spirale Milan, Corso Magenta, Milan, Italy
“Black & White”, Galleria La Nuvola 1, Rome, Italy
“Una collezione trasversale”, ALT Arte LavoroTerritorio, Spazio Fausto Radici, Alzano Lombardo, Bergamo, Italy
“Futurismo. Avanguardia delle Avanguardie”, Studio 2B Boggi Arte, Bergamo, Italy
“Around Rotella, l’artista e il suo tempo”, MAON, Museo d‘arte dell’Ottocento e Novecento, Rende, Cosenza, Italy
“L’immaginazione al potere! L’arte, gli artisti e il ’68 “, Fondazione Noesi per l’arte contemporanea, Palazzo Barnaba, Martina Franca, Taranto, Italy
“Italics. Arte Italiana fra tradizione e rivoluzione 1968 – 2008”, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy
“In caso di Nebbia!", Colossi Arte Contemporanea, Brescia, Italy

 
2008
“Gianna Nannini / Getulio Alviani –Mi meraviglio di me”, Bunkerart, Milan, Italy

2007
“François Morellet / Getulio Alviani - l’arte del rigore platonico-pitagorico”, Valmore Studio d’Arte, Vicenza, Italy
“ ’50 / ’60. La scultura in Italia. Villa d’Este, Tivoli, Italy
“Spazio. Luce. Movimento”, Centro Culturale Annotazioni d’Arte, Milan, Italy
“Space, People and Place”, Università degli studi, Facoltà di Architettura, Pescara, Italy

2006
“L’idea prende forma”, Galleria Il Narciso, Rome, Italy
Vistamare, Pescara
“L’ arte del lavoro, il lavoro dell’arte”, CAMEC, Centro Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, La Spezia, Italy
“Dal Costruttivismo alla Web Art,Cafè Europe, Rome, Italy

2005
“Padiglione Italy out of Biennale”, Trevi Flash Art Museum-Palazzo Lucarini, Trevi, Perugia, Italy
“Filoluce. Da Balla a Boetti, da Fontana a Flavin, Museo della Permanente, Milan, Italy
“Percezioni Visive Cinetiche ed Optical”, Leopardi V- Idea, Genoa, Italy
GAMEC, Galleria d’ arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Bergamo, Italy

2004
Galleria Il Bulino, Rome, Italy
Parten(i)ogenesi – Getulio Alviani, Agostino Bonalumi, Paolo Radi, Galleria Civica d’Arte Contemporanea, San Martino Valle Caudina, Avellino, Italy

2003
Galleria Seno, Milan, Italy
Galleria Comunale d’Arte Contemporanea, Monfalcone, intervista di Maroevi?, Italy

2002
Galleria Spazia, Bologna, Italy
Galleria Placentia, Piacenza, Italy

2001
Mondriaanhuis, Amersfoort
Städtischen Museum Gelsenchirken
Galerie Conny van Kaseel, Egmond aan Zee
Galerie Cuenca, Ulm

2000
Geometricannisettanta, Alviani/Biasi, Galleria d’Arte Palladio, Udine, Italy

Galeria Bielska Bwa, Bielsko-Biala
Galerie Schoeller, Düsseldorf

1999
Galerie Rigo, Novigrad, Italy
Colussa Galleria d’Arte, Italy

1998
Dina Carola arte contemporanea, Naples

1997
Muzej Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb

1996
Bwa Wroclaw Galerie Awangarda, Wroclaw
Mednarodni Gafi?ni Likovni Center – Galerija Tivoli, Ljubljana

1995
Galeria Stara, Lublin

1994
Muzeum Okregowe w Chelmie – Galeria 72, Chelm

1992
“mai wai”, Galleria Seno, Milan, catalogue texts by G. Alviani, L. De Domizio, Italy

1991
Galleria Rocca 6, Turin, Italy
Galerie Schoeller, Düsseldorf

1990
Sergio Casoli Studio d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
Santo Picara, Firenze, Italy

1987
Galerie Seestrasse, Rapperswil, catalogue text by L. Vergine
Galleria Seno, Milan, Italy
Talijanski Kulturni Centra u Zagrebu, Zagreb, catalogue text by G. Dorfles

1986
Galerie Schoeller, Düsseldorf

1983
Salzburger Kunstverein Künstlerhaus, Salzburg
Galleria Del Naviglio, Milan, Italy

1982
Centro Iniziative Culturali – Galleria Sagittaria, Pordenone, Italy

1980
Keramilia Galerie, Wagen B. Dübendorf, maggio-giugno, catalogue text by G. Dorfles
Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Ferrara, Italy
Galerie Denise-René, Paris, France

1979
Libreria Biancini, Perugina, Italy
Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Johanneum, Graz

1978
Galleria La Polena, Genoa
Galleria d’Arte Plurima, Udine, catalogue texts by G. Dorfles e L. Vergine
Galerie Seestrasse, Rapperswil, catalogue text by L. Vergine
Kunstcentrum Badhuis, Gorinchem, catalogue text A. Hilgemann-de Stigter
Galerie BWA, Wroclaw
Galleria d’Arte Plurima, Udine, Italy

1975
Studio F22 Arte Moderna, Palazzolo sull’Oglio (Brescia) , Italy
Galleria e, Bolzano, Italy

1974
Galerie Letzer, Kreuzlingen
Parodi Arte Moderna, Genoa, Italy
Galeria Conkright,Caracas
Galleria San Benedetto, Brescia, Italy
Galeria Krzyztofory, Krakow
Galleria Leonardo da Vinci, Lecco, Italy
Galleria Plura, Milan, Italy

1973
Galerie Reckermann, Köln,
Galerie Kückels & Hartmann, Bochum

1972
Galleria Il Centro, Naples, Italy
“Alviani, Castellani, Colombo”, Galerie im Taxis-Palais, Innsbruck
Galerie Nächst St. Stephan, Wien
Galleria Peccolo Arte Contemporanea, Livorno, Italy
Galleria Dei Mille, Bergamo, Italy
Centro 6 Arte Contemporanea, Bari
Studio Ld Arte Contemporanea, Pescara, Italy
Bon à Tirer, Milan, Italy
Galerie Seebacher, Nuziders

1971
“Acqua Fuoco Luce Colore”, happening, Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea, Pescara, Italy
Galerie Denise-René – Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf
Galerie Design I, Hamburg
Galerie Diogenes, Berlin
Galleria Del Naviglio, Milan, Italy
Galleria Mana, Rome, Italy

1970
Galleria La Polena,Genoa, , Italy
Kaufhof am Wehrhahn, Düsseldorf
Galerie 58, Rapperswil
Galleria Il Segnapassi, Pesaro, Italy
Galleria Arte Studio, Macerata, Italy
Galerie Konkright, Caracas
Galerie Klaus Lüpke, Frankfurt/Main

1969
New Smith Gallery, Bruxelles
Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne
Galerie d’Art Moderne, Basel
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles
Galerie Kückels, Bochum
Galleria Arte Studio, Macerata, Italy
“Germana Paruccelli e Getulio Alviani”, Galleria Naviglio Incontri, Milan, Italy. Text by G. Dorfles

1968
Galerie Fischer Steinhardt, Frankfurt
Galleria Il Segnapassi, Pesaro, Italy

1966
Galleria Notizie, Turin
Centro Arte Viva – Feltrinelli, Trieste, Italy
Galleria del Leone Arte Contemporanea, Venice, Italy
(Op) Art Galerie, Esslingen
Galerie Tobiès & Silex, Köln
Galerija Doma Omladine, Beograd

1965
Galerie Smith, Bruxelles
Galleria La Polena, Genoa, Italy
Galleria Del Naviglio, Milan, Italy
“Germana Maruccelli + Getulio Alviani”, Firenze/New York

1964
Galleria Cadario, Milan, Italy
Galleria La Bussola, Turin, Italy
Galleria Del Deposito, Genoa, Italy

1963
Städtisches Museum Schloß Morsbroich, Leverkusen, text by U. Apollonio

1962
Moderna Galerija Mali Salon, Rijeka
Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb
La Cavana Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea, Trieste, Italy
Galleria 22, Venice, Italy
Galerie 61, Klagenfurt
Studio F, Ulm

1961
Mala Galerija, Ljubljana, catalogue text by Zoran Kržišnik

1961

Mladih Salon, Novi Sad, Serbia

1962

Arte Programmata, Olivetti, Milan, Italy

Arte Programmata, Olivetti, Venice, Italy

1963

Mednarodna grafi?na razstava, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Zero, Galerie Diogenes, Berlin, Germany

Nove Tendencije 2, Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb, Croatia

Nuova Tendenza 2, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, Italy

Bewergte bereichte der kunst, Krefeld, Germany

1964

Neue Tendenzen, Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany

Nouvelle Tendance, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Paris, France

XXXII Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy

Mouvement 2, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France

1965

Kinetic and Optic Art Today, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, United States

Nove Tendencije 3, Galerija Suvremene Umjetnosti, Zagreb, Croatia

The Responsive Eye, Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States

Lumiére, mouvement et optique, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium

1966

Structure et Mouvement, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France

1967

Lo spazio dell ‘immagine, Palazzo Trinci, Foligno, Italy

1968

documenta 4, Kassel, Germany

Nove Tendencije 4, Muzej za Umjetnost i Obrt, Zagreb, Croatia

1984

Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy

1986

Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy

1993

Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy

2007

Lo[s] Cinético[s], Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain

Op Art, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany

Kunstmuseum, Basel
Kunstmuseum, Bern
Galleria d’arte moderna, Bologna
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
Museo de Arte Moderno, Ciudad Bolivar
Museum of Art, Colombus
Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag
Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf
Musèe de l’Atheneum, Helsinki
Kaiser- Wilhelm Museum , Krefeld
Stadtisches Museum Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen
Museum Sztuki, Lòdz
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Musèe d’Art Contemporain, Montreal
Museum of Contemporary Art, Nagaoka
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Rijksmuseum Kroller-Muller, Otterlo
Galleria d'arte Moderna, Roma
Museum Boymans – van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Museo Sperimentale d’Arte Moderna, Torino
Museo Revoltella, Trieste
Museum des 20, Jahrhundeerts, Wien
Muzeum Architectury, Wroclaw
Von der Heydt-Museum der Stadt, Wuppertal
Muzej za Umjetnosti obrt, Zagreb
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sidney
Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Udine
Stadtisches Museum Gelsenkirchen