AMERICAN JOURNEY

Sassone candidly chronicles his upbringing in Italy and his remarkably successful career as an artist.

In 1942, Sassone was born in Campi Bisenzio, a small town in Tuscany not far from Florence. Artistic talent ran in the family—his father was both a singer and a painter, though he was frustrated by his lack of success. A “rebellious kid” moved by a “spirit of independence and foolhardiness,” Sassone found a youthful solace in drawing and painting, a “legitimate escape from the humdrum of everyday life,” as well as a reprieve from troubles, a sanctuary affectingly described in this fascinating remembrance. By the time he was in high school, he was a serious student of art—he studied with and was deeply influenced by the painter Silvio Loffredo. Eager to expand his artistic horizons, he traveled to California by way of London and New York, enjoying a meteoric rise in the art world. The prestigious Wally Findlay Gallery exhibited his works; he was invited to the 1978 Oscars; and celebrities like Tina Turner admired his art. Ultimately, he became so famous, his work so valuable, that he was plagued by the illicit selling of forgeries. The author treats the reader to more than an account of a memorable art career; he provides an astonishingly forthcoming, even confessional peek into the personal world of an artist at the height of his power, including his chaotic romantic life. Sassone never refrains from sharing his opinions, often critical of contemporary artistic convention, reliance on mass media, increasing conformity, and obsession with profit, opining, “It all seemed to me like smoke and mirrors. Come to think of it, a lot of the art I see these days in museums and galleries is mostly smoke and mirrors—flashy things that appeal to the superficial eye.” This is a captivating autobiography of an extraordinary life, as dramatic as it is accomplished.

A gripping memoir that luminously captures an artist’s life.