Devin Galleries
Pino
Limited Edition Prints
EMAIL US: Info@DevinGalleries.com
Biography
Pino was born in Bari on November 8, 1939, he began his studies at the city’s Art Institute. In 1960 he entered Milan’s Academy of Brera where he perfected his talent and skill for painting nudes. In the two years he studied at the Academy, he came under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites and Macchiaioli. Pino also experimented with Expressionism of the late sixties during his stay in Milan. From 1960 to 1979 his work appeared in several major exhibitions throughout Italy and Europe. At the same time, he was commissioned by Italy’s two largest publishers. Mondadori and Rizzoli, for book illustrations. However, Pino felt restricted in Milan. He wanted more artistic freedom which he believed existed in the United States.
In 1979, he imigrated to the United States under the sponsorship of Borghi Gallery where he held several shows in New York and Massachusetts. In 1980, after knocking on many doors, Zebra Books Publishers commissioned him to do his first book cover. Pino's interpretation was new, fresh and sensual. Stylistically, he brought the characters into the foreground where his technique and talent for painting the anatomy was celebrated. His illustrations were so successful that he gained entrée into creative relationships with many leading publishers of romance novels. The popularity of Pino grew within the literary community and he became the artist-in-demand for Zebra, Bantam, Simon and Schuster, Harlequin, Penguin USA and Dell. From 1980 to 1993 he dedicated himself totally to this art where his style dominated and influenced the market. His illustrations combined elements fresh from Europe with a powerful sensuality, bringing this medium to new heights. To date, Pino has illustrated 3,000 books; his style has dominated and influenced the market.
Although Pino devoted 13 years to illustrating book covers, he never abandoned his desire to return to fine art. His desire to create pieces that emerge free from outside restrictions motivated him to find the time to devote himself to fine art again. In 1993, he realized his goal and has finally found the freedom he had always desired; to explore the profundity of his talents without restraint. Pino has been producing works of a highly romantic nature with a unique and innovative touch. Exploring the depths of his experiences, he puts on canvas subjects that embody life’s simple pleasures. These works have a veil of nostalgia and the characters have subtle suggestions of complexity. Dressed in soft flowing fabrics, the colors of their garments in relation to the sea, sand, sky and sun elicit feelings of warmth, a perception of preciousness and a notion of an uncomplicated world. Reminiscent of his childhood environment, Pino’s paintings are generally set in coastal, sunny, and vibrantly floral places. He uses a colorful pallet to create tender pleasurable feelings. His fine art is rich with sensuality, rousing the memory through all the senses. Pino’s paintings resurrect in us the incidents of those simple, priceless moments we have stored in our memories and have so frequently forgotten. As his fame has grown, Pino has made numerous appearances on major TV networks and has been interviewed in national and international journals. His works are held in prestigious corporate and private collections throughout the world.