Biographie
Born in 1924 in Sicily, Nino Giuffrida developed a passion for painting at the age of 17 at the art high school in Catania, where he befriended classmates such as Pippo Aleo and Giovanni Calogero. After an aborted attempt to reach France in 1948, he arrived in Paris on December 8, 1949, settling in Montmartre at 30 rue Gabrielle, the same street where Picasso had lived decades earlier. In 1961, Nino met Picasso, who encouraged him to bring his personal sensibility to his works. In the 1950s, he devoted himself to painting Paris while sketching portraits in the cafés of Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Inspired by Cubism, he specialized in depicting children, capturing their intense expression. With the disappearance of art galleries in Montmartre, he moved to the French Riviera, first to Cannes and then to Vallauris, and became an international painter, exhibiting in cities such as Rome, Brussels, Chicago, and Geneva. In Paris, he directed the Galerie de la Colonne, also exhibiting works by great artists such as Chagall, Dalì, and Picasso. His flourishing career was marked by a series of solo exhibitions that propelled him onto the world art scene.
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His artistic training began at the age of 17 at the art high school in Catania, where he formed lasting friendships with Pippo Aleo and Giovanni Calogero. After an aborted attempt to reach France in 1948, he finally managed to settle in the French capital, symbolically choosing Rue Gabrielle in Montmartre, Picasso's historic residence.
The 1950s marked a period of total immersion in Parisian artistic life. He devoted himself to painting Paris while developing a parallel activity as a portraitist in the emblematic cafés of Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. This practice of sketching from life enriched his understanding of human expression and nourished his future specialization.
His encounter with Picasso in 1961 was a decisive turning point: the master's encouragement to cultivate his personal sensitivity confirmed his artistic orientation towards a Cubist interpretation of childhood. He then developed a recognizable signature in capturing the expressive intensity of young subjects.
The evolution of the Parisian art market, marked by the gradual disappearance of Montmartre galleries, led him to move to the Côte d'Azur. Settling successively in Cannes and then Vallauris, he considerably expanded his international influence with exhibitions in Rome, Brussels, Chicago, and Geneva.
His periodic return to Paris materialized in the direction of the Galerie de la Colonne, where he exhibited not only his own works but also those of masters such as Chagall, Dalì and Picasso. This activity as a gallery owner testifies to his recognition in the artistic community and his ability to promote contemporary art on the international scene.
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