Enzo Russo

Enzo Russo is a master artist and art instructor trained in Florence by some of the giants of Twentieth Century Italian art. He lives and works in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and teaches at the Greenwich Art Society, Greenwich, Connecticut.

Life

Enzo Russo was born and raised in Florence, Italy. He and his identical twin brother, Germano, attended the School of Fine Arts at the University of Florence. They were admitted two years before the mandatory age of eighteen, after being granted a special dispensation from the Italian Ministry of Education. Enzo went on, after earning his undergraduate degree, to receive a Master’s degree in Mural Art. The art school was founded by Michelangelo in the city that was the birthplace of the Renaissance and home of many of history’s greatest artists and art works.

As a student in Florence, Enzo was fortunate to have three extraordinary teachers. The first, Ottone Rosai, one of the major Italian artists of that time, had a strong influence in his formation as an artist. Enzo says, “I learned much from him about balancing the strict rules of academic learning with the search for my own direction.” The second teacher, Gioavanni Colacicchi, was a living encyclopedia of technical knowledge. His insatiable thirst for learning influenced Enzo’s intellectual posture. The third teacher, Giorgio de Chirico, regarded as the father of modern Surrealism, Enzo considers to be one of the two greatest masters of the 20th Century, the other being Balthus. De Chirico was a man of formidable intellect and outstanding intuition. His unique vision strongly inspired Enzo’s early work and lighted his way through the perplexing maze of modern art. The two men established a long and close friendship.

After graduating at age 20, both Enzo and his brother moved to Rome to take a one year course in film set design at the “Centro Sperimentale di Chematografia” in Cine Cittá. They were in Rome for a period of four years working on films while simultaneously pursuing their objectives in the fine arts.

Following an award by the Salzburg Seminar for the Arts and Letters, they traveled to Salzburg, Austria, where they made the acquaintance of Pulitzer Prize art historian Oliver Larkin. Deeply impressed with their work, Mr. Larkin, who was the chief moderator of the seminar, sought their friendship and became instrumental in Enzo’s coming to America. The following year, Enzo was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in the visual arts becoming the first known foreign artist to receive such recognition.

The purpose of the grant was a cultural tour of the United States following an arranged itinerary which included visiting university art departments and giving a series of lectures about contemporary western European art and art education. An honest and conclusive report on the tour caused an additional year extension of the fellowship. After his research was completed, Enzo stayed on in the U.S. working as a professional artist. Two years later his brother, Germano, joined him.

In 1968, with the sponsorship of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian Institution and Oliver Larkin, Enzo received “distinguished foreigner status” and was later accorded American citizenship.

Both Enzo and his brother have been represented by several New York and Boston art galleries.

Enzo presently lives and works in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and teaches at the Studio School of the Greenwich Art Society in Greenwich, Connecticut, and The Painting Studio in Darien, Connecticut. He also teaches a number of private students while pursing his own painting. His work as an artist and teacher has influenced a generation of emerging artists in Connecticut, as well as young artists from all over the world.

Prizes and Awards

* The National Quadrienna of Rome, Italy (at 18 years of age).
* The International Biennale of Venice, (special prize of the President of the Republic to an artist under 21 years of age).
* The Diomira Drawing prize, Civic Museum of Milan, Italy.
* The Michetti Prize, Civitavecchia, Italy.
* “Premio del Fiorino” (National Panoramic, Exhibition).
* Purchase Prize by Marzotto collection.
* First prize from The National Academy of the Art of Drawing (co-awarded with Germano Russo).
* The Salzburg Seminar in American Art Fellowship (co-awarded with Germano Russo).
* Life Fellow member of the Commonwealth Fund Foundation, in New York.
* The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship Grant, after sponsorship by Pulitzer Prize Art Historian Oliver Larkin (a by invitation only award).

Exhibitions in the U.S.

* The World House Gallery, New York, NY
* The Catherine Viviano Gallery, New York, NY
* The Smithsonian institution, Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, DC
* The Contemporaries, New York, NY
* The Rolly-Michaux Gallery, Boston, MA

External links

*** [http://www.enzorussofineart.com Official web site]

References

* Robinson, Renton, De Jonge, "Oil Painting Principles and Techniques: Lessons of Enzo Russo", 2007