A spotlight on figurative artist Alessandro Tomassetti
Figurative painter Alessandro Tomassetti (b. 1970) is a Canadian painter and photographer based in Barcelona. In his bold paintings of contemporary men, he combines his naturalistic rendering style with a tenebrous palette and dramatic lighting to create work which is as seductive as it is subversive.
Rather than presenting his male subjects as mythological heroes or captains of industry, Tomassetti paints to reveal their vulnerability and sensitivity.
From the pose, expression and styling to the glints of light and reflection captured in his brushstrokes, Tomassetti’s work manifests an intimacy most often associated with paintings of female subjects.
By eschewing historic expectations— where men were typically the audience for such portraits rather than the subjects —Tomassetti’s oil paintings invite the viewer to acknowledge their preconceptions and explore the state of contemporary masculinity, in all its strengths and limitations.
Tomassetti studied Art and Art History at McMaster University and later specialized in Computer Animation and Fashion Design. He has contributed special effects to Hollywood feature films, designed and manufactured menswear and created popular apps for the iPhone.
His paintings and photographs are collected worldwide and have been featured in Vogue, Architectural Digest, Poets/Artists, Fine Art Connoisseur, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, and American Art Collector.
His work has been exhibited at Sotheby’s New York, LA’s Architecture & Design Museum, the Salmagundi Club, the Zhou B Art Center, RJD Gallery, Rehs Contemporary Gallery, Carolyn Kramer Gallery, the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art (WMOCA) and the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM). He is represented by Sugarlift Gallery in New York.
