Giacomo Albano Biography
Giacomo Albano was born in Catania at the end of 1935, moving to Milan after high school. In 1955-1956 he attended the free school of the nude and subsequently, in 1957, he enrolled at the Brera scenography school, where he studied under the guidance of important teachers such as TB Varisco, E. Kaneclin and G. Ballo. During the years spent at the scenography school he also attended the sculpture workshops of renowned artists such as Luciano Minguzzi and Marino Marini, as well as Funi's decoration workshop. In 1957-1958, he began to collaborate with the Studio d'Arte Drammatica of Milan, directed by A. Spreti, where he designed and created scenes and costumes for numerous theatrical productions, including Le cocu magnifique by Mazaud, Dance of Death by Strindberg, Brecht's Threepenny Opera and Anouihl's Antigone. In 1959 he designed and created, together with colleagues from the Brera Academy, the scenes for Il Soldato Piccicò by Aldo Nicolaj and music by Bruno Nicolaj, Wojzeck by Buchner for the "Teatro Sudio" directed by G. De Vincentis. He collaborated with Gianni Colla, one of the most important puppeteers in Europe, thanks to his creativity he created highly successful shows such as "Macbeth" and "The Tempest" by Shakespeare, "Lilion" by Molnar and various fairy tales. His shows took place in a suggestive natural environment on the Comacina Island and were also filmed on TV and performed at the Teatro dell'Accademia di Brera. During his career Albano has obtained numerous awards, including the commission for the design and execution of the Portal of the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Lacrime in Syracuse. In 1994, he oversaw the installation of the portal doors made in a single casting for each elevation measuring approximately 3 by 4 meters each. The Sanctuary and the Portal were consecrated by Pope John Paul II the same year.
