Marc Dalessio was born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California. Even in his earliest years, it was evident that his passion was art. In 1989 he started at the University of California at Santa Cruz where he focused on both art and biology. During his time in Santa Cruz, Marc experimented with different schools of painting and spent much of his spare time studying the history and culture of the profession. He finished his outstanding academic career, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, in 1992.
After university, Marc moved to Florence, Italy, where he spent the next eight years developing his style and refining his technique. Initially, Marc studied under Svetlan Kracsyna at Il Bisonte International School of Graphic Arts, where he earned a master printmaker degree. From there he went on to train as a portraitist at a small traditional painting atelier.
Marc has emerged as a true master of his craft. Whether his work depicts an Indian landscape or an Italian businessman, the lines and color in his paintings attempt to reveal the nature of his subjects. In his portraits, he works to find the essence of the model, trying to use the true character of the individual to decide the mood of the painting. His plein air landscapes, which range in subject from exotic locations around the world to his own backyard, attempt to capture both the present and the history of the environment, touching the soul with his own unique view of the scenery. In all his works, his dedication to light and color, and the subtly of his subjects, enraptures even the most casual observer.
WORK EXPERIENCE
1997 - 2013 Portraitist
Il Ritratto Gallery, Poggio Imperiale 17, Florence
1998 - 2008 Associate Artist
Portraits Inc., 985 Park Avenue, New York
2003 - 2008 Instructor, Advanced Studio Art and Landscape Painting classes
Florence Academy of Art, Via della Casine 21/R, Florence
1997 - 2002 Instructor, Advanced Portraiture and Landscape Painting classes
Charles H. Cecil Studios, Borgo San Frediano 68, Florence
1996 - 1999 Graphic Designer
Cook Studio, Via Puccinotti 54, Florence
EDUCATION
1993 - 1997 Charles H. Cecil Studios
Florence, Italy
Awarded meritorious scholarship
1992 - 1993 Il Bisonte International School of Graphic Arts
Florence
Master Printmaker Certificate
1989 - 1992 University of California at Santa Cruz
Bachelors degree with Honors in Fine Arts
Phi Beta Kappa
PUBLICATIONS
December 2009 American Artist Magazine “Painting Landscapes in Exact Scale”
June, 2002 La Mia Casa Magazine. Italy. “Ritorna la Voglia di Ritratto”
November, 2001 Town and Country Magazine. U.K.
October, 1998 Dove Magazine. Italy. “L'Io in Cornice”
2023: Grenning Gallery Pop-Up, Michigan Mercantile, New Buffalo, MI
2022: Indian Summer Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2021: Man vs. Paint Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2021: Painting Beloved Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2020: California Dreaming Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2020: Fenske & Friends Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2020: Shades of Winter Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2019: Dalessio & Morfis Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2019: Philadelphia Fine Art Fair
2019: Painting Locally Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2019: Figuratively Speaking Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2018: Marc Dalessio Solo Exhibition Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2017: Sag and the City Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2017 20th Anniversary Show Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2016 Marc Dalessio: Rediscovers Italy Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2016 Marc Dalessio: Charleston Town & Country Ann Long Fine Art Charleston, SC
2015 Solo Exhibition, Recent Paintings Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2014 Solo Exhibition, Recent Paintings Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor NY
2012 Solo Exhibition, Recent Paintings Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2011 Solo Exhibition, Recently Paintings Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2010 Solo Exhibition, Recent Paintings Ann Long Fine Art Charleston, SC
2009 Solo Exhibition, Recent Paintings Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2008 Solo Exhibition, Recent Painting Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2007 Marc Dalessio and Ben Fenske Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2005 Solo Exhibition, Recent Works Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2006 Landscapes from Spoleto Ann Long Fine Art Charleston, SC
Irish Landscapes W.H. Patterson Gallery Albemarle Street, London
Two Person Show, Landscapes Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2005 Group Exhibition, Italian Landscapes Century Gallery Washington, DC
Solo Exhibiton, Recent Paintings Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2004 One Man Show Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
Group Exhibition W.H. Patterson Gallery Albemarle Street, London
Local Landscapes Ann Long Fine Art Charleston, SC
2003 "Vanitas" Group Show Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
Range of Realism Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2002 Marc Dalessio Latest Works Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2001 Orientialism in the 21st Century: Dalessio's Recent Works Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
Dalessio Paints the Light of California and Tuscany Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
2000 Solo Exhibition, “American Debut” Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY
1999 Group Exhibition, “Il Ritratto” (The Portrait) La Corte di Arte Contemporanea Florence, Italy
1997 Group Exhibition Pole Pi Cultural Center Paris, France
1995 Group Exhibition British Institute Library Florence, Italy
1993 Group Exhibition, “Year End Show” Il Bisonte Gallery Florence, Italy
1992 Solo Exhibition, Senior Show Porter College, UCSC
Marc Dalessio's work is breaking out, onto a new and higher plane this year. Since we opened our doors in 1997, Dalessio has remained one of the Grenning Gallery's most consistent and popular painters. Given this background together, it brings us great pleasure to present this show which is anchored by two grand landscape paintings. They clearly usher in a new more ambitious period for Dalessio. "Lifting Fog, Garrapata Beach", 55 x 70 inches, and "Swarthmore Bluffs, Pacific Palisades", 55 x 70 inches, signify that Dalessio has hit his stride as he approaches the end of his 30s. The depth, refinement, and scale command one to compare these paintings to the Hudson Valley School, and Dalessio's work stands up well to this high standard. Interestingly though, the paintings are somehow more fluid and expressive, which distinguishes them as 21st century rather than 19th century in their spirit. The fine technique and the bodacious size combine beautifully to express Dalessio's deep love and endless awe in the face of nature.
Marc Dalessio has crafted an enviable life as a painter. In addition to his prolific output, he is also a generous teacher, a craftsman, an entrepreneur, an art historian, an internet blogger and occasionally even finds himself an international emissary of classical painting. The engine behind Dalessio's efforts is a love of nature combined with an unfettered passion to paint everyday, most of the day.
Dalessio's search for beauty has taken him to some of the more exotic corners of our planet. He travels - sometimes on his own, but often with a group of like-minded plein air painters - to world renowned landscapes, including but not limited to Kuki Gallman's ranch in Kenya, a castle in Rajasthan, a barge on the Seine in France, a chalet in Switzerland, and a village in Myanmar (Burma). Dalessio has been painting on the East End of Long Island since 2000, adding Shelter Island and Sag Harbor to his visual travelogue.
Marc Dalessio's solo show this summer is full of life, light and love. This wonderful plein air painter is back to travelling the globe with his painting box. This exhbit has works from recent trips to Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, as well as Italy, and his original home of California. "The Terrace in Dubrovnik" the anchor painting of the show, measuring 47 x 59 inches, is a large scale virtuosic plein air painting. It depicts a shaded porch, with bright light pressing in on the comfortable subjects, a woman at the table and the dog sleeping at her feet. The variety of lavenders and blues in the shaded walkway, as well as the soft light filtering through the many greens that overhang them is spectacular in it's subtlety. Bright dashes of light punctuate the sweet coolness of the shade, with the values and colors perfectly capturing the scene for many generations of viewers to come. Those of us who have followed Dalessio's life and paintings understand the significance of the peace and harmony that is conveyed in this lyrical painting of his new bride and their dog.
Marc Dalessio (b 1972) has spent the last year travelling the world in search of beauty, and looking at this show, he has indeed found it. Ironically, the most beautiful subject was found right at home. In his 15th year with the Grenning Gallery, Dalessio exhibits one of the finest figurative works we have ever presented.
"Tina Under the Olive Tree" is a rich, evocative plein air painting that, interestingly, also demonstrates Dalessios superior hand at portraiture. The painting vibrates as light falls through the olive branches, dapples across her patterned Max Azaria dress, and the shade frames the subject's aquiline features. It's rare that an outdoor scene, with such bright colors and high contrast, would also contain a delicate and accurate rendering of a beautiful young woman's face. The subject is Tina, Marc's newly wed wife, and the setting is the olive grove in the farmhouse in Chianti where Dalessio has been staying and painting for over 20 years. This is one of those paintings, where the artist's body (as demonstrated by his high level of craft), mind (seen in his choice of subject and composition) and his soul (the emotive energy vested in the painting) all come together. The power of this concordance is palpable when standing in front of the painting.
