Leone Minassian (1905–1978; ) was an Italian painter and printmaker of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent. His work is an important representative of European post-war abstract painting. Minassian lived in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

for more than 40 years.

Early life and education

Leone Minassian was born on May 8, 1905 in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to Armenian parents. His mother was writer

Iskouhi Minas Iskouhi Minas (; 2 October 1884 – 7 September 1951) also known as Iskuhi Minas, and Iskouhi Minasyan, was a French novelist and poet. Biography Iskouhi Minas was born on 2 October 1884 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (present-day Istanbul, ...

, and his father was Zhan Minasyan, the editor of the French periodical "Patri". He started painting in this youth. Minassian has been attributed to studying art at

Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia The is a public tertiary academy of art in Venice, Italy. History The Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia was founded on 24 September 1750; the statute dates from 1756. The first director was Giovanni Battista Piazzetta; Gianbattista Tie ...

, as well as under many notable artists, including

Leonardo De Mango Leonardo de Mango (19 February 1843 – 1930) was an Italian-born Turkish painter, active for most of his career in Istanbul. He was known for landscape paintings depicting Orientalist themes. Biography The eldest child of a large family, de Ma ...

; Albert Mille (1882–1946); in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

under Danish painter ; and in Venice under Italian painter Alessandro Milesi.

Career

Minassian's early art was influenced by

futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, an ...

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

, and the art of

Giorgio De Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( , ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the '' scuola metafisica'' art movement, which profoundly influ ...

. He was friends with artists Alberto Viani,

Giuseppe Santomaso Giuseppe "Bepi" Santomaso (1907 – 1990) was an Italian painter and educator. Santomaso was an important figure in 20th-century Italian painting, and he taught art at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia for 20 years. Early life and education ...

Giorgio Morandi Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaking, printmaker who specialized in still life. His paintings are noted for their tonal subtlety in depicting simple subjects, which were limited mainly to vases ...

, and

Jean Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born in Straßburg (now Str ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Minassian found his own painterly language and his art began to receive international attention. His pictures are characterized by intertwined, plant-like shapes and/or bodies in diverse colors. He took part in the group exhibitions

II. documenta II. documenta was the second edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 11 July and 1 October 1959 in Kassel, West Germany. The artistic director was Arnold Bode in collaboration with art historian Wern ...

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2 ...

in 1959, and the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

in 1961. His work can be found in the art museum

Ca' Pesaro The Ca' Pesaro is a Baroque marble palace turned art museum, facing the Grand Canal of Venice, Italy. Today it is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia system. The building was originally designed by Baldassarre Lon ...

in room 7.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minassian, Leone 1905 births 1978 deaths Artists from Venice Artists from Istanbul Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia alumni 20th-century Armenian painters Turkish emigrants to Italy Armenian emigrants to Italy Armenian painters Turkish people of Armenian descent