Marco Sassone
Encyclopedia
Marco Sassone, OMRI
(born 1942 in Campi Bisenzio
) is an Italian
painter
. He moved to Florence
in 1954, where his interest in painting began. He studied architectural drafting at the Istituto Galileo Galilei, and sold his first works, watercolor sketches, to tourists.
Sassone studied with painter Silvio Loffredo, who had been a pupil of the Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka
. These artists formed Sassone's early influences.
In November 1967, after the destructive flood that had devastated Florence, Sassone traveled to the United States
where he settled in California
. He moved to Laguna Beach, where he exhibited at the annual Festival of the Arts.
In the early 1980s Sassone moved his studio to San Francisco, where he encountered homelessness
. He spent several years sketching the homeless people he met while observing life on the streets. This work formed the exhibition "Home on the Streets" which opened in 1994, at the Museo ItaloAmericano
in San Francisco, and traveled to Los Angeles
and Florence, Italy.
In 1982 Marco Sassone was Knighted by president of Italy
, Sandro Pertini, into the Order to the Merit of the Italian Republic
and received a gold medal award from the Italian Academy of Arts, Literature and Science.
In 2005, Marco Sassone relocated to Toronto
, Canada
.
A childhood encounter with a homeless man in Campi Bisenzio first inspired the artist's lifelong interest in marginalized people and places in society.
As a young man, his personal experience of the destruction of the city of Florence during the flood of 1966 left a lasting impression that can be seen in his work, throughout his forty year career.
In the following years, the artist has organized other auctions of his work, donating the proceeds to charity, including the InterAid organization. In 1984, Sassone's work was auctioned to raise $28 000 to provide medical attention and food to impoverished children.
"You'll find yourself wading about in miasmas of pigment applied with such painterly verve and chromatic generosity you catch yourself wanting to eat the stuff with a spoon."
"The substantial core of works selected for the occasion offers a comprehensive, systematic tribute to the work of this painter who has always been attracted to a few specific themes; the internal distress of individuals who see themselves as crushed by life's injustices; and the observation – capricious yet at the same time elegiac – of the Amalfi coast and the Venetian lagoon, both depicted by Sassone with the same feverish anxiety that emerges in the raw truthfulness of his portraits."
"The man with blue eyes stares out at you...His pupils gape at an interior world which he invites you to enter, without knowing. The brush strokes are merciless. As a man and as a painter, Marco Sassone was sucked up into the world of the homeless from the time he was child, at Campi Bisenzio."
Sassone was remarried in 2006 to Russian writer Emilia Ianeva, in Toronto.
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic was founded as the senior order of knighthood by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi in 1951...
(born 1942 in Campi Bisenzio
Campi Bisenzio
Campi Bisenzio is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 10 km northwest of Florence.-History:...
) is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. He moved to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1954, where his interest in painting began. He studied architectural drafting at the Istituto Galileo Galilei, and sold his first works, watercolor sketches, to tourists.
Sassone studied with painter Silvio Loffredo, who had been a pupil of the Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka was an Austrian artist, poet and playwright best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes.-Biography:...
. These artists formed Sassone's early influences.
In November 1967, after the destructive flood that had devastated Florence, Sassone traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he settled in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He moved to Laguna Beach, where he exhibited at the annual Festival of the Arts.
In the early 1980s Sassone moved his studio to San Francisco, where he encountered homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
. He spent several years sketching the homeless people he met while observing life on the streets. This work formed the exhibition "Home on the Streets" which opened in 1994, at the Museo ItaloAmericano
Museo ItaloAmericano
Museo ItaloAmericano, also known as the Italian American Museum, is a museum in San Francisco, California, the only to focus solely on Italian and Italian-American art and culture. The nonprofit museum was founded in 1978 and is located within the Fort Mason Center...
in San Francisco, and traveled to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Florence, Italy.
In 1982 Marco Sassone was Knighted by president of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Sandro Pertini, into the Order to the Merit of the Italian Republic
Italian orders of merit
There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods...
and received a gold medal award from the Italian Academy of Arts, Literature and Science.
In 2005, Marco Sassone relocated to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Work
Early InfluencesA childhood encounter with a homeless man in Campi Bisenzio first inspired the artist's lifelong interest in marginalized people and places in society.
As a young man, his personal experience of the destruction of the city of Florence during the flood of 1966 left a lasting impression that can be seen in his work, throughout his forty year career.
Social Commitment
On November 23, 1980, an earthquake struck the Irpinia region of Italy, and 500 000 families were made homeless. Marco Sassone quickly organized an auction with Sotheby Park Bernet, "Sassone Earthquake Benefit" to raise funds for the victims made homeless by the earthquake. The artist donated 18 original works which raised $17 000. These funds contributed to the reconstruction of a family farm house destroyed in the Valva region.In the following years, the artist has organized other auctions of his work, donating the proceeds to charity, including the InterAid organization. In 1984, Sassone's work was auctioned to raise $28 000 to provide medical attention and food to impoverished children.
Home on the Streets
Sassone's encounter with a homeless man named Willie in San Francisco lead to an exhaustive personal research by the artist. Sassone lived and worked among the homeless of that city, sketching and talking with the people he met. These sketches resulted in the exhibition, Home on the Streets, which consisted of large scale oil paintings and intimate pastel portraits depicting life on the streets. This exhibition has helped to raise awareness and funds for various homeless organizations in the United States. The artist has donated his work to benefit numerous charities, including inter Aid and Another Planet.Reviews
"The painter remains a visionary, describing tall buildings and merging highways as he forges a rapport with Toronto. Sassone is profoundly interested in rendering a nearly mythic ambience, whose experience borders on the sublime.""You'll find yourself wading about in miasmas of pigment applied with such painterly verve and chromatic generosity you catch yourself wanting to eat the stuff with a spoon."
"The substantial core of works selected for the occasion offers a comprehensive, systematic tribute to the work of this painter who has always been attracted to a few specific themes; the internal distress of individuals who see themselves as crushed by life's injustices; and the observation – capricious yet at the same time elegiac – of the Amalfi coast and the Venetian lagoon, both depicted by Sassone with the same feverish anxiety that emerges in the raw truthfulness of his portraits."
"The man with blue eyes stares out at you...His pupils gape at an interior world which he invites you to enter, without knowing. The brush strokes are merciless. As a man and as a painter, Marco Sassone was sucked up into the world of the homeless from the time he was child, at Campi Bisenzio."
Exhibitions
- 1977 National Academy of Design, New York
- 1988 Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles
- 1997 Cloisters of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
- 2001 Museo Italo-Americano, San Francisco
- 2003 Cloister of Sant' Agostino, Pietrasanta, Italy
Personal life
Marco Sassone was married in 1972 to Diane Nelson in Florence, Italy, with whom he has one son, Nicola. They divorced in 1983.Sassone was remarried in 2006 to Russian writer Emilia Ianeva, in Toronto.