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Created by Master Sculptor Giuseppe Armani in his last year of life , “The Three Graces” is only the fifth sculpture to be included in the “Masterworks Collection”, started in 1996.
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Giuseppe
Armani passed away suddenly on Saturday, October 28, 2006
of a massive stroke.There
were three things in life that Giuseppe loved: his Family,
Music and Art. Giuseppe
Armani shared his love of art with us and created art for
us.
As
many of you experienced first hand, Giuseppe was a charmer.
He adored meeting his public. They, in turn, were happy to
have him in their lives. Armani possessed a rare talent.
He was able to give life to inanimate clay and by so doing
he brought beauty and joy into the lives of his collectors.
The
magnificent creations of his imagination live after him in
the gallery of Art and Sculpture he left us.
We,
here at The Collection Shop, mourn him even as we celebrate
his life and rejoice in his wonderful Works of Art.
Bio
Giuseppe Armani was born in Calci, Italy, in 1935. From the
moment young 'Bebe' could pick up a pencil, he drew. He drew
everything he saw. He drew everyone he knew. He drew all day
long. Armani's parents were amazed at Giuseppe's prodigious
output and they recognized that their little boy's sketches
were more than just the whimsical drawings of most children.
Uncanny realism and attention to detail revealed Giuseppe's
true talent. He had The Gift.
Giuseppe's teachers decided that Armani should attend the
Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. Unfortunately, as the arrangements
were being made, his father died unexpectedly. The family
needed Giuseppe now. Art school was forgotten. But the Art
was not.
Giuseppe Armani's natural talent was finally recognized
when a local priest organized an exhibition of young artists;
Giuseppe entered a sculpture of a classically inspired male
torso. The work was greatly admired for its extraordinary
anatomical precision. When the torso was taken to the Art
Gallery in Pisa -- located across the street from the famous
Leaning Tower -- Giuseppe Armani's talent was rewarded with
the offer of a permanent job there.
In Pisa, Armani's dream of studying art was finally realized.
He immersed himself in the great masterpieces of the Renaissance
that he had only read about in books. He travelled to Siena
and Florence and began to hone his personal style; Giuseppe
drew heavily on the style of 16th Century Florentine Renaissance.
Sculpture, Armani realized, allowed him to work in three
dimensions. He infused life, character and even soul into
his works. Giuseppe experimented in wood, clay, alabaster
and marble and his reputation grew with each breathtaking
creation. Art admirers soon started flocking to the gallery
to see Armani's latest efforts.
In 1975, the Florence Sculture d'Arte, recognizing Armani's
genius, offered him the opportunity to work exclusively for
them. He would be encouraged to give free rein to his artistic
muse. Giuseppe Armani accepted.
For more
than 20 years Armani has created masterpieces ranging from
traditional Capodimonte style to more daring, contemporary,
sometimes whimsical sculptures. Always, Giuseppe infused
his figurines with breathtaking realism -- with a spark of
life. This continues to amaze even his many admirers the
world over. Giuseppe Armani describes his credo this way: "Although
I consider myself a direct descendant of the Renaissance
heritage, I believe that an artist has to follow his own
evolution and not solely be a ruminant of the past, as glorious
as it may have been. An artist conducts a search that may
lead him far out in exploring new areas of interest. I continually
search to discover new and better means of expression.
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