Emilio Scanavino

Emilio Scanavino was a prominent Italian painter and sculptor born in Genoa in 1922. From a young age, he showed a strong artistic inclination, enrolling in 1938 at the Nicolò Barabino Art High School in Genoa, where he was influenced by Professor Mario Calonghi. In 1942, he exhibited his first works, featuring landscapes and humble subjects, at the Salone Romano in Genoa, marking the start of his artistic career. In 1946, he married Giorgina Graglia, and in 1947 he moved to Paris, where he met artists and poets such as Édouard Jaguer, Wols, and Camille Bryen. This stay was crucial for his stylistic development, influenced by postcubism and contemporary abstract art, which Scanavino reinterpreted in a personal way. In 1950, he participated in the 25th Venice Biennale, consolidating his reputation. In 1951, he lived in London, where he met artists like Philip Martin, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Francis Bacon, and opened his first studio in Milan. His art is characterized by a profound cultural duality, reflecting his mother's Catholic faith and his father's theosophy, elements that shaped his expressive language. Throughout his career, he won several awards, including the Spoleto Prize, Sassari Prize, Valsesia Prize, and Lignano Prize in 1960, and was invited with a personal room at the 30th Venice Biennale. Emilio Scanavino is regarded as a significant figure in international contemporary art, known for his ability to blend expressionist, postcubist, and abstract influences into a unique and recognizable style. He died in Milan in 1986.