The artist Palermo (1943-77) left behind a comprehensive oeuvre the includes works on paper, canvas and panel paintings, objects, cloth pictures, wall paintings and works on metal. The present study examines the painting technique and materials of the artist and attempts to give insight into his painting process by reconstructing the development of his late, multi-layered works on metal.The currently existing literature on Palermo has been supplemented by a first contribution of technical art history that includes heretofore unknown works, unpublished source material and an essay on the history of aluminium on the 20th century art.