01/08/2025
Happy Birthday to Elio Benvenuto!
Elio Benvenuto (1914-1991) was a master sculptor and artist versed in a range of mediums. Elio was born into a family of traditional stone carvers, marble workers and artists in Pietrasanta, Lucca, Italy, of Tuscan, Ligurian, and Sardinian descent. He began training as an apprentice at 11, then studied in Genoa and Florence.
An active Partisan during WWII Italy and mayor of Pietrasanta during the rebuilding effort, Elio immigrated to San Francisco postwar re-joining his wife, painter and textile craft artist Lydia Macchiarini Benvenuto and family, where he soon became an influential figure in the mid-century arts movement.
A skilled teacher, beloved mentor and cultural leader, Elio was instrumental in establishing important San Francisco arts infrastructure and founded the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, co-founded the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, and was Director of the vibrant SFAC Annual Arts Festival.
Elio Benvenuto's incredible work is currently featured in our GRUPPO DI QUATTRO exhibition with Lydia Macchiarini Benvenuto, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Sam Provenzano. The exhibition has been extended through January 2025.
https://calabigallery.com/gruppo-di-quattro-reception-saturday-october-26th-3-7pm/
