'Market Scene' by Pascal Cucaro, 1959, Sausalito, North Beach, San Francisco Bay Area Expressionist Oil

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Signed lower right, "Cucaro" for Pascal Cucaro (American, 1915-2003), additionally signed, verso, and dated 1959.

An icon of the Beat … Read more Signed lower right, "Cucaro" for Pascal Cucaro (American, 1915-2003), additionally signed, verso, and dated 1959.

An icon of the Beat years in San Francisco's North Beach, Pascal Cucaro was the winner of numerous medals and awards and exhibited with success worldwide including at a one-man show at the Butler Institute of Art in 1958. A hard-cover, first-edition copy of Cucaro (Sentinel Art Books, 1969) accompanies this painting.

Born to Italian immigrant parents, Pascal worked in the circus during his childhood summers, the experiences giving him a lifelong interest in clowns, and circus life. After serving in World War II, he attended the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, then returned to Europe to spend time in France, Spain, and Italy to further his art studies.

He became a familiar part of the art scene during the lively 'Beat' years in San Francisco's North Beach section, frequently exhibiting his work at the centers of beat life including the Black Cat Cafe, the Iron Pot, the Lion Book Shop, City Lights, Vesuvio's, and the Hungry I. A one-man art show held at the Butler Institute of American Art at his hometown in 1958 was followed by other exhibitions in California, as well as Hawaii and Japan. He was nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1965. See less