Italo Gazzoli (1923-2007) Italian/American, Original Mixed Media on Paper. Shows a whimsical construction of unusual materials to somewhat resemble the shape of Napoleon, with a balloon tied and floating nearby. Signed and dated 1987 in pencil middle right. 

Overall Size: 18 x 14 in. 

Sight Size: 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. 

Italo Gazzoli was born in the village of San Benedetto Po, Italy on December 6th, 1923. He attended school in Milan and fled the country in the wake of rising fascism, winding up in the United States where he worked as a telecommunications engineer for G.T.E. for several decades. Interested in art from a young age, he had trained at the Academia di Bella Art di Breva and had his first solo exhibition of his oil paintings in 1951 in Belleair, Florida. His style gained international acclaim for his whimsical combination of classic themes, celebrities, racing cars, and visual puns, especially after his marriage to his wife Ponce, who encouraged him to explore his humorous side as a way to deal with his anger and sense of loss after his self-exile from Italy. From the 1970s onward he exhibited both in Florida galleries and throughout Italy, returning to visit his ailing mother and explore his birthplace for new inspiration. He passed away while on one of these trips on August 4th, 2007, and was laid to rest on the grounds of his ancestral home. His surrealist works continue to inspire new artists and command attention at auctions and galleries around the globe.