1960s Modernist Portrait Painting by Achillo Sullo

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Dynamic original work by well listed, trending American artist. Oil, gouache & pencil on paper. Circa 1962. Estate stamp/verso. Unframed. … Read more Dynamic original work by well listed, trending American artist. Oil, gouache & pencil on paper. Circa 1962. Estate stamp/verso. Unframed.

Achillo “Achi” Sullo (American 1922-2013). Boston/Roxbury, MA

As a young man, Sullo honed his artistic gifts serving his country on the front lines of WW2 as an equipment camouflage painter. Post-conflict, he was accepted to The Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. After 5 years of study (including a year abroad in Italy/France), he graduated in 1949, alongside a number of artistic luminaries of the American abstract movement. **Most notably Ellsworth Kelly (class of 48) and Cy Twombly (class of 49).

Sullo won numerous awards/accolades over the next few years. His work was exhibited in various Boston galleries and glowingly reviewed by The Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and other relevant publications… culminating in a well received and successful 1958 Solo exhibition organized by The San Diego Museum of Art.

Despite these early successes, Sullo opted for a quiet/private life… outside the spotlight. Described as an introvert, he eventually “dropped out” and chose to eschew all commercial aspects and trappings of the “art world”.

Instead, he kept a private studio and worked prolifically for the simple JOY of creating, while staunchly refusing to make his work available for public exhibition or sale during his lifetime.

Sullo dedicated himself to exploration and creation, working in a constantly evolving set of mediums and range of motifs. A dedicated modernist, his early works of the 1950s were heavily influenced by post-impressionism and expressionism. After dabbling in abstract expressionism in the late '50s and early 60s his mature styles settled toward organic, hard-edged abstraction and bold post-modernism.

Experimenting widely in sculpture, paint, drawing and print, Sullo created a stunning body of wholly original and distinctive works… displaying a true mastery of color and design throughout.

Posthumously released pieces have quickly gained significant attention/traction among galleries and private collectors alike, with demand quickly outpacing supply in several genres. See less