Antonio Pezzino Biography
Antonio Pezzino was born in 1921 in Córdoba and was a constructive artist, an abstract painter, a distinguished designer and a precursor of graphic design. His art allowed him to challenge his own image through reinterpretation of constructive work, spontaneity of gesture, abstract invention or the incorporation of motifs and techniques from his paintings into graphic design work.
His artistic training began at the Academy of Fine Arts "Dr. José Figueroa Alcorta", where he studied under the guidance of Antonio Pedrone, José Aguilera and Francisco Vidal. Subsequently, he was a member of the "Free Laboratory of Plastic Artists" for three years, where he worked with a live model. In 1941 his family moved to Buenos Aires, where he continued to study in free workshops.
In 1942 Pezzino traveled to Bolivia, where he worked with elements of pre-Columbian cultures and held an exhibition of his work. Upon his return to Buenos Aires, he became interested in the work of Joaquín Torres García.
In 1945 Pezzino went to Montevideo and joined the Torres García Laboratory, where he was the direct disciple of the master and remained there until 1957. In 1954 he traveled to France, Italy and Spain, where he studied the masters of Western art and also had the opportunity to come into contact with Eastern art and philosophy, ideas that opened a new direction in his plastic conception.
As a graphic designer, Pezzino worked on the creation of album and book covers at the AS printing house and created numerous posters for the Cine Club. He worked on the layout of brochures, magazines and stamps and taught drawing and painting. He designed the magazine Removedor by Taller Torres García and the newspaper El País, illustrated the literary section of this newspaper, the weekly Marcha and the magazine Tres, among many other graphic works.
In 1980 Pezzino obtained the letter of Uruguayan citizenship. His works have participated in the exhibitions of the Torres García Laboratory and in numerous personal and collective exhibitions. Antonio Pezzino died in Montevideo on 29 April 2004 at the age of 82.
