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Marc Dalessio | 1972 | Los Angeles, California

Artist Bio

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”


Artist Exhibitions
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

Artist Press
American Artist: Issue December 2009
Painting Landscapes in Exact Scale
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The Sag Harbor Express | July 2016
Fenske to be Featured in National Portrait Gallery
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Artist Catalogues
Marc Dalessio | Solo Show 2014
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Marc Dalessio | Solo Show 2014

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.


Marc Dalessio | Solo Show 2013
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Marc Dalessio | Solo Show 2013

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 | Recent Paintings 2011
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Marc Dalessio | Recent Paintings 2011

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 | Recent Works 2009
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Marc Dalessio | Recent Works 2009

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.



Artist Works | 227 RESULTS VIEW SOLD