Cristina Vergano

Cristina Vergano (1960) is a fine artist born and raised in Italy, presently living and working in New York City. Her classical, academic painting style offsets the highly imaginative content^[1] of her work. A playful, surreal vein runs through the artist’s work, along with a subtle feminist concern and a wink to Pop art. Vergano’s paintings are populated with human-animal hybrid creatures,^[2] Muslim women in lingerie,^[3] flying saucers, word games, and amused references to Ingres, Picasso, Lichtenstein, and other masters, both old and modern.

Life

Born in Milano in 1960,^[4] Cristina Vergano studied at the International School of Milan, Liceo Cassini, and Universita’ di Genova.

Vergano painted and drew since early childhood, while absorbing a creative mindset and practical knowledge from her father and grandfather, both fine artists. Frequent and extensive visits to art museums and European travels created in the artist a lasting influence of classical balance^[5] and solid technique, while classical studies gave her work a conceptual basis. After obtaining a degree in Italian Letters and Art History, the artist permanently moved to the United States in 1984.

Having lived in Florida and Georgia, Vergano moved to New York City in 1990, where she expanded her work to industrial design, creating a line of products for New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Liberty Science Center. She also showed her paintings at the Elaine Benson Gallery, the Denise Bibro Gallery, the New York School of Interior design, the Chicago Athenaeum, the Parrish Art Museum and the New York Law School.

In 1996 Vergano had her first solo exhibition at the Woodward Gallery in New York City,^[6] which has successfully shown and represented her since. In addition to the Woodward Gallery, recent venues for Vergano’s work have been: the University of Ohio, the Laguna Art Museum,^[7] the Art Museum at Florida International University, White Box, the City of Brea Art Gallery, the Decordova Museum, and the Anthropology Museum of the People of New York.

Selected press

Feature articles about Vergano’s work have repeatedly appeared in Juxtapoz Magazine, Art and Antiques, The Georgia Review, and American Arts Quarterly. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, ArtNews, Art in America, New York Magazine,^[8] Esquire Japan, the Nora Roberts novel, Black Rose, and the book cover of Half Mammals of Dixie, by George Singleton. In 2011 Cristina Vergano was featured on the "HGTV" show "Home By Novogratz" in episode HHBN-112H, "Jan & David's Manhattan Townhouse." ^[9]

Selected Collections

Vergano’s paintings are part of several private and corporate collections, among which are Barry Sonnenfeld, Richard and Carol Kalikow, Whoopi Goldberg, The Coleman Group, Madonna, William Herbert Hunt, Robert and Cortney Novogratz, Jonathan Ross and Cooper Classics.^[10]

Exhibitions

2009 “Cristina Vergano: Just For You,” Fall, Woodward Gallery, NY

2008 “Cristina Vergano,” University of Ohio, The Conard Pearl Gallery, Mansfield, Ohio

2006 “Cristina Vergano: Figure of Speech,” September - November, Woodward Gallery, NY, NY^[11]

2003 “Cristina Vergano: Bitches,” Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

2000 “Cristina’s World: Chronicles of Evolution,” Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

1998 “Pan-American Thanksgiving,” Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

1997 Cascabel Restaurant, curated by John Woodward, in collaboration with Woodward Gallery, New York

1996 “Neo-Icons,” Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

1994 "Under the Influence (of Old Masters),” Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, New York

1992 "Recent Work,” Gail Moore Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia

1990 "Myth and Dream,” Westbanks Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York

1988 "Passion and Pursuit,” Port Armor Country Club, Athens, Georgia

Awards

Selected as Featured Artist for The Georgia Review, Summer 2001 issue, literary magazine published by the University of Georgia; full color illustrations of paintings in retrospective format.

Honorable Mention, 2000 “Anthropology in Art: A Viewer’s Perspective,” Anthropology Museum of the People of New York, New York, NY

Honorable Mention, 1996 “The Lyrical, the Expressionist and the Poetic,” National Juried

Exhibition curated by Michael Walls

“Best of Show,” 1989 “Oconee Artists Exhibition VII,” Atlanta, GA

“Best in Mixed Media,” 1989 “Oconee Artists Exhibition VII,” Atlanta, GA

References

1. ^ "Imaginative content". findarticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_5_89/ai_74439439/. Retrieved 2009-08-09. "Imaginative Content" ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Human-animal hybrid creatures". artknowledgenews.com. http://artknowledgenews.com/Cristina_Vergano_exhibit.html?format=pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-09. "Human-animal hybrid creatures" ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Fashion Forward". islipartmuseum.org. http://www.islipartmuseum.org/pdf/IslipFashionForwardCatalogue.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-09. "wearing the lacy, sexy attire..." 
4. ^ "Biography". askart.com. http://www.askart.com/askart/v/cristina_vergano/cristina_vergano.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-09. "Born in Milan, Italy..." 
5. ^ "Classical Style". highbeam.com. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-74439439.html_tab=Exhibitions. Retrieved 2009-10-09. "Classical drapery" ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Woodward Gallery". woodwardgallery.net. http://www.woodwardgallery.net/vergano.html. Retrieved 2009-07-09. "First Solo Show" 
7. ^ "Past Exhibitions". lagunaartmuseum.org. http://www.lagunaartmuseum.org/past-exhibitions.html. Retrieved 2009-10-09. "Past Exhibitions" ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Just For You". woodwardgallery.net. http://www.woodwardgallery.net/exhibitions/ex-vergano-just.html. Retrieved 2009-08-09. "Just For You Show" 
9. ^ "Home By Novogratz". http://www.hgtv.com/home-by-novogratz/jan-davids-manhattan-townhouse/index.html. 
10. ^ "Selected Collections". woodwardgallery.net. http://www.woodwardgallery.net/vergano/vergano-resume.pdf. Retrieved 2009-010-09. "Selected Collections" 
11. ^ "Exhibitions". artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/Artists/ArtistHomePage.aspx?artist_id=17169&page_tab=Exhibitions. Retrieved 2009-10-09. "Exhibitions" 

External links

• Official Site
• Woodward Gallery
• Artnet Gallery

Persondata
Name	Vergano, Cristina
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Date of birth	1960
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Date of death
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