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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.
Page: Giuseppe
Armani
Society
1, 2, 3
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