Tommy Silvestre Macaione (American, 1907-1992) oil on board post-impressionist landscape painting, depicting a vase of flowers in the lower right foreground, set in front of a field of wildflowers with rolling hills in the background. Signed and dated in red “(copyright) Tom. S. Macaione. 66.” lower center. Housed in a wooden frame with canvas liner and gilt fillet and sight edge. Sight: 19 1/2″ H x 33 1/2″ W. Framed: 25 1/4″ H x 39 1/4″ W. Biography: Thomas Sivestre Macaione was born in New London, Connecticut to a father of Greek descent and an Italian mother before their separation and Macaione’s subsequent move to Sicily with his mother. There he was first exposed to the old masters and his passion for art. Following his return to New London in 1922, Macaione studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and was involved with the Art Students League in New York. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and worked as a barber (a tradeskill he utilized to support his art throughout his life). During a hitchhiking trek bound for San Francisco, Macaione stopped in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he abandoned the remainder of his trip and settled. Here, he would develop a reputation for plein-air painting throughout the town, a development not entirely welcomed by the community. Though an active member of Santa Fe’s midcentury arts community, Macaione lived his life as an impoverished outsider, often using still-wet paintings as payment for services rendered, such as the veterinarian’s bill for his extensive and constantly growing menagerie of pets. Macaione became an institution in the city, even posthumously having a city holiday dedicated to him, November 13 (his birthday). His work can be found in numerous public and private Santa Fe collections, including City Hall. (adapted from “Unforgettable El Diferente: Tommy Macaione, Santa Fe’s patron saint of the arts” by Loren Bienvenu in the November 8, 2013 ed. of “Pasatiempo” published by THE NEW MEXICAN)

PROVENANCE: The Collection of Richard H. and Kathleen L. Hulan.

CONDITION: Light surface grime, otherwise overall very good condition.