Emilio Scanavino

EMILIO SCANAVINO Genova, 1922 - Milano, 1986

Scanavino was born in Genoa in 1922. In 1938 he enrolled in the Art School Nicolò Barabino where he met Mario Calonghi, who was teaching at the school and was a great influence on Scanavino’s artistic formation. In 1942 he had his first exhibition at the Salone Romano of Genoa. In the same year he enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture at the Milan University. In 1946 he married Giorgina Graglia. In 1947 Scanavino moved to Paris where he met poets and artists such as Edouard Jaguer, Wols and Camille Bryen. This experience proved to be inspirational. He was especially interested in Cubism, which he rendered into a personal interpretation when he exhibited at the Island Gallery in Genoa in 1948. In 1950 Scanavino and Rocco Borrella joined “The Seven of Number”, an artistic group revolving around the Number Gallery in Florence. He had a two-person exhibition with the sculptor Sarah Jackson at the Apollinaire Gallery in London. During his time in London Scanavino met Philip Martin, Eduardo Paolozzi, Graham Sutherland and Francis Bacon. In the same year he opened his first study in Milan in an attic in Foro Bonaparte. Critic Guido Ballo and dealers Guido Le Noci and Arturo Schwartz were early champions of his works. In 1952, Scanavino worked at the Marzotti’s Ceramic Factory in Albissola Marina, where he met and befriended many artists, including Lucio Fontana, Asger Jorn, Corneille, Roberto Matta, Wifredo Lam, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Enrico Baj, Sergio Dangelo, Roberto Crippa, Gianni Dova, Agenore Fabbri and Aligi Sassu. In 1954 he exhibited again at the Venice Biennale and in 1955 he received the Graziano Prize. In 1958 he won the Lissone Prize and the Prampolini Prize for a solo presentation at the Venice Biennale. In the same year he moved to Milan where he joined the Naviglio Gallery directed by Carlo Cardazzo with whom he established a long-standing friendship and proficuous working relation. In Milan he also met the art collector Gianni Malabarba with whom he established a strong friendship. In 1962 Scanavino bought an old house in Calice Ligure, which he later converted into a studio space. In 1963, after winning the La Spezia Prize, Scanavino learned of the sudden death of Carlo Cardazzo. Cardazzo’s brother, Renato, continued to run the Naviglio Gallery but the loss of Carlo had a huge impact in Scanavino’s life. After participating for the fourth time to the Venice Biennale, when he won the Pininfarina Prize, Scanavino permanently moved to Calice Ligure in 1968. In 1970 he won the Grand Prix at the 10th Menton Biennale and met Franco Castelli, then editor of “The Man and the Art”, who became one of his closest friends and supporters. In 1971 Scanavino had to undergo a major surgery operation. The recovery period signaled the start of a new creative phase in his painting. He traveled to Belgium, France and Germany, and in 1974 the Darmstadt organized a comprehensive anthological exhibition that later traveled to Venice’s Palazzo Grassi and Milan’s Royal Palace. In 1982, Scanavino’s health started to decline. His last exhibition was the 1986 edition of the Rome Quadriennale. Scanavino died in Milan on 28 November 1986.

EMILIO SCANAVINO Alfabeto senza fine, 1970 Acrylic on canvas 78 3/4 x 31 1/2 in (200 x 80 cm)

EMILIO SCANAVINO Fuochi fatui, 1973 Oil on canvas 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in (80 x 80 cm)

PAOLO SCHEGGI Intersuperficie curva, 1965 Acrylic on 3 overlapping canvas 27 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 2 1/4 in (70 x 60 x 5.5 cm)