Name Tony Scornavacca | ||
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Died January 25, 1986, Miami, Florida, United States | ||
Tony Scornavacca (June 9, 1926-January 25, 1986) was an American painter.
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Early life and education
Scornavacca was born June 9, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Italian immigrants. After serving in World War II, he studied commercial art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Career
In 1950 he moved to Miami where he studied fine art extensively before becoming a successful artist and gallery owner. He painted in oils with the subject matter varying from abstracts to landscapes to the human figure.
Along with other artists, he was one of the founders the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in 1962.
Scornavacca was a true artist in the sense that public demand did not dictate what he painted. He received many requests from gallery customers to paint something 'in blue to match the furniture.' This made being both the artist and gallery owner difficult for Scornavacca and in true artist form he turned these incidences into a joke of some form - it was just too painful - and those closest to him are familiar with his numerous "one liners." Scornavacca never, however, turned down a commission to do a portrait - this is where his genius draughtsmanship and ability to capture a subject's soul on canvas was stunning and sometimes haunting, because he would bring out something in a person that was not evident before. Also notable regarding his draughtsmanship is his ability to capture the subject with a minimum of brush strokes or charcoal lines.
His work is included in the permanent collections of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. He was also the recipient of many distinguished awards, both locally and nationally.
Death and afterward
He died January 25, 1986 from lung cancer.