Mixed media on paper, masked figures GUIDO CODOGNONE (1901-1968)

Mixed media painting on paper depicting festive figures by Guido Codagnone (1901-1968), size 60 X 40 cm. Guido Codagnone (1901-1968) was born in Castrovillari, Calabria, in 1901. He is considered the "Italian Lautrec." He first lived in Naples, where he worked as an industrial designer and, under the pseudonym GU-KO, collaborated on humorous drawings for various newspapers. In 1923, he moved to Paris and worked at the Académies Libres in Montparnasse and Montmartre. He exhibited his works for the first time in 1929 and regularly participated in numerous Parisian Salons d'Automne. His entire oeuvre, from 1929 until his death in 1968, exhibits a perfect unity, both in subject matter and technique. He is the painter of actors and scenes from the Commedia dell'Arte, Carnival, backstage, the circus, and the Café-chantant: drawn, evoked, and recreated rather in full color to highlight the artificial light of the stage. Exceptions include a few landscapes, notably Parisian ones, and a few portraits of women. He won the Prix du Salon de l'École française in 1958. His works are held in collections in Milan, Turin, Naples, Paris, Philadelphia, New York, São Paulo, Amsterdam, Zurich, Caracas, Locarno, and Casablanca.