Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Santo, Pasquale (Patsy) |
Date Born |
12/25/1893 |
Birthplace |
Corsano, Italy |
Deceased |
05/10/1975 |
Place of Death |
Bennington, Vermont |
Father |
Santo, Nichola |
Mother |
Santo, Christina Scoroscia |
Spouse |
Santo, Irene White |
Children |
Santo, Christine Violetta Santo, Carl |
Places of Residence |
Bennington, Vermont (224 Dewey Street) Corsano, Italy |
Occupation |
House painter Artist |
Notes |
Patsy Santo was born in Corsano, Italy December 25, 1893. At the age of 20 he came to the United States and worked a variety of jobs in Albany, Hoosick Falls, and Greenwich, New York. In 1917 he married Irene White and the couple settled in Bennington, Vermont where they had two children, Violetta and Carl. Santo chose house painting as a career, but also painted murals and small pieces for family and friends. His first publicly displayed work was at the State Fair in Rutland in 1937, where it caught the eye of artist Walt Kuhn. Kuhn encouraged Santo to pursue art and advocated for him at galleries in New York City. Kuhn helped Santo get his first one man show at the Marie Harriman Gallery in 1940 and he was later invited to be included in a show "Unknown American Artists" at the Museum of Modern Art by Sidney Janis. Janis later included him in his book "They Taught Themselves." Most of his scenes depict Bennington area landscapes. His work was often shown with other "modern primitive" folk painters such as Grandma Moses. He was included in exhibits and the permanent collections of MoMA, the Whitney, the Corcoran, the Berkshire and Bennington Museums and a show organized by the Smithsonian Institution that traveled through Europe. He was a member of the Southern Vermont Artists Association. |
