Draft:Nicola Sassone

Nicola Sassone (Campi Bisenzio,1919 – ?) was an Italian painter and man of culture, active mainly in Tuscany in the second half of the 20th century. He is remembered for his still lifes and for his work as artistic director of the Dante Theater in Campi Bisenzio. He was also the father of the painter Marco Sassone, with whom he exhibited on several occasions, including abroad.

Biography

A multifaceted individual, Sassone grew up in a lively artistic environment and alternated between various activities throughout his life: he was an architectural designer, opera singer, and artistic director of the Teatrodante in Campi Bisenzio, an institution in which he became a prominent figure. At the same time, he cultivated his vocation for painting, which led him to become well known and respected in post-war Tuscany. In 1954, he moved with his family to Florence, settling in a city that was fertile ground for the arts. Here, his son Marco Sassone grew up, later becoming an internationally renowned painter. Nicola played a decisive role in his son's artistic development: it was he who gave him his first box of watercolors^[1], a gesture that marked the beginning of a professional career that lasted decades.

Style

Sassone's painting belongs to the Tuscan figurative tradition of the 20th century, with a particular preference for still lifes. His paintings are characterized by compositional balance, chromatic harmony, and a measured luminosity that won over the local public. Although his most admirable paintings were still lifes, he did not limit himself to painting only these. He also often depicted landscapes and interior scenes, always with an eye on everyday objects and familiar spaces.

Among his preferred techniques, Sassone ranged from oil on canvas to watercolor; although he did not belong to any official artistic movement, his work can be classified as naturalistic and lyrical, combining rigorous observation with an intimate sensibility. Unlike the pictorial style of his son Marco, which evolved after moving to California into a study and evolution of European Expressionism, Nicola's art was characterized by formal sobriety and compositional clarity, with particular attention to light as an organizing element (typical of the Tuscan school of the mid-twentieth century).

Abroad

Starting in the 1980s, his fame spread beyond Italy, mainly thanks to his artistic dialogue with his son. The two exhibited together on several occasions in North America, creating a bridge between generations and languages. Memorable exhibitions include the one in Claremont, Canada, in 1977^[2], where he exhibited his paintings alongside those of his son, and the one in Vancouver, Canada, in 1990^[3]: on the occasion of the latter, Nicola wrote the introduction to his son Marco's catalog, confirming his role not only as a painter but also as an intellectual capable of reflecting on the meaning of art and its transmission. The book was published in the United States in the same year.

Expos

• 1977 "Marco Sassone and Nicola Sassone" - Griswold's Art Gallery, Claremont, Canada
• 1990 Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, Canada

Note

1. Valentina Tisi (2019-01-08). "Marco Sassone, l'artista che ha conquistato l'America ma ha sempre Campi nel cuore". Italia 7 (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-09-17.
2. "FolkLib Index - Marco Sassone Exhibitions". www.folklib.net. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
3. "Publications". Marco Sassone. Retrieved 2025-09-17.

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• Italian Painters