Sam Provenzano Original Mid Century Modern Mixed Media Abstract Expressionist Composition Painting Birds
This is a mid-century modern mixed media artwork on paper by Italian-American artist Sam Provenzano, created in 1951. The piece features an abstract depiction of birds, showcasing the artist's mastery of texture and depth through layers of paint and variations in paper. Provenzano employed a technique reminiscent of de Kooning's scraping method, adding dimension by attaching pieces of paper to the composition. The painting is an excellent example of Provenzano's style and measures approximately 18" x 24".
The artwork is signed in multiple locations: in graphite and paint on the mid-left and in the upper-right corner. While currently housed in a temporary frame with clear acrylic for protection, the painting exhibits some condition issues. There are puncture marks in the upper-left corner, and the paper is torn in the upper-right corner, reflecting the artwork's journey over time. These imperfections are worth noting for transparency.
This rare and vibrant piece highlights Provenzano's skill and creative experimentation in the postwar modernist era. For full condition details, please review the accompanying images.
Sam Provenzano (1923–1999)
Sam Provenzano was born in 1923 in Luciusboro, Pennsylvania. He began his artistic studies in 1940 at Syracuse University in New York, where he was a classmate of Sol LeWitt. His education was interrupted by World War II, during which he joined the army and participated in the Army Specialized Training Program in Engineering at Auburn University in Alabama. After the war, he resumed his studies and pursued additional training at prestigious institutions, including the Hans Hofmann School in New York and Provincetown, the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City. During this time, he studied with renowned artists such as Umberto Romano, Jean Charlot, Ricardo Martinez, and Rosai in Italy. In 1949, he graduated cum laude from Syracuse University.
In 1951, Provenzano moved to San Francisco, where he opened the Provenzano Art Studio and became the Director of the Art Department at the Town School for Boys. Over the course of his career, he became a central figure in the Bay Area art scene, with exhibitions at major institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the de Young Museum, and the Palace of the Legion of Honor. His work was included in the "Western Artists" show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 1955 and in numerous other significant exhibitions, including the Oakland Art Museum and the Butler Institute of American Art.
Throughout the 1970s, Provenzano exhibited widely at galleries in San Francisco, including Keating, Van Doren, Lawson, Rotunda, and Lucien LaBaudt. His later years were marked by significant solo exhibitions, including a 1999 retrospective at the Museo Italo-Americano in San Francisco, as well as shows at the Washington Square Gallery and the University Art Museum in Berkeley. His work, which spanned decades of experimentation and expression, is now held in the permanent collections of institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Oakland Museum, the Crocker Art Museum, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Sam Provenzano passed away in San Francisco in 1999, leaving a lasting legacy in the American art world through his paintings, exhibitions, and contributions to the Bay Area's vibrant artistic community.
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