Pablo Manzoni (15 July 1939 – 2 February 2022) was an Italian make-up artist who, as Pablo of
Elizabeth Arden, was awarded the
Coty Award in 1965 for leadership in cosmetics.
Biography
Manzoni was born Count Paolo Michaelangelo Zappi-Manzoni di Giovecca in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, son of Count Ubaldo Zappi-Manzoni di Giovecca, a
surgeon,
and wife Ersilia Monti. He is technically
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...
Pablo Manzoni, although he stated in 1985 that he does not use his title.
[
At the age of 17, Manzoni persuaded the Elizabeth Arden salon in Rome to employ him, despite his lack of experience.][ Whilst there, he worked with clients such as ]Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
, for whom he used his trademark eyebrow-bleaching technique to enhance her eyes.[ Another early Manzoni trademark was the use of false eyelashes.][ At 24, Manzoni relocated to ]Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
, New York, where from 1964 to 1979, known only as "Pablo," he was creative director for Elizabeth Arden.[ In 1965, his eye-makeup techniques were so influential that he was awarded the Coty Award in recognition for launching a worldwide style.][ As a leader in the field of fashionable, elaborate eye-makeup, Pablo was extremely popular with fashion editors and society women during the 1960s. Manzoni stated in 1966 that the jewel-studded or flower-decorated eyes he created for the fashion press were intended to inspire the reader, rather than to be exactly copied.][ In 2011 Manzoni expanded on this, explaining that the "festive eyes" he created for '' Vogue'' and '' Harper's Bazaar'' were intended for shock value and publicity purposes, but that when at work he created subtle make-up for clients.][
In 1979 Manzoni left Elizabeth Arden to embark upon a solo career, for which he reclaimed his surname.][ By 1985, as well as dealing with private clients, Manzoni was working as a make-up consultant for Neiman Marcus.][ In 1990, he was Creative Director for the La Prairie cosmetics line.
Manzoni died from complications from back surgery on 2 February 2022, at the age of 82.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzoni, Pablo
1939 births
2022 deaths
Artists from Rome
Italian make-up artists