WINTER 2020 Italian American Digest PAGE 12
Franco Alessandrini : Italian Master Sculptor and His New Orleans Studio
By Saskia Ozols Photos by Ellis Anderson This is an abridged version of an article originally published in August 2020 by the French Quarter Journal Visit www . FrenchQuarterJournal . com for more information
Franco Alessandrini maintains a vibrant studio , gallery , and practice in New Orleans ’ historic Central Business District , where he has lived and worked for the past four decades . Although he commutes to Italy a few times a year he considers New Orleans “ the best place to be .”
His influence and aesthetic punctuate the city with dramatic multi-figure compositions , portraits , and monumental mosaic work . Alessandrini works in a variety of media and switches from one visual language to another with unmatched fluidity . He is a painter , sculptor , draftsman , printmaker and designer . His varied breadth with visual means inspires appreciation of his work as a contemporary renaissance master of modern media .
A classically trained sculptor who grew up and studied in Italy , Alessandrini ’ s work connects New Orleans ’ unique culture with the international community . There are few sculptors in New Orleans capable of the understanding and expression of form as he orders them . In addition to mastery of technique , many of his works address contemporary yet timeless topics such as immigration , integration , and the nature of man . His overall aesthetic is one that New Orleans is fortunate to engage ; it combines impeccable strategies for design and process with issues of local , regional , and global relevance .
Margaret and Franco Alessandrini in his studio Photo by Ellis Anderson
A monumental Byzantine mosaic , " New Orleans ," is my first stop . Permanently installed in the Convention Center along the Mississippi River , this piece is well worth the hunt and stuns at first glance . New Orleans offers a larger-than-life image that captures the spirit of the city with a technique refined in 4th-century Ravenna . Alessandrini designed the masterpiece in its entirety , and the incorporation of this antique art form with New Orleans culture creates a feeling of devotion for the multi-faceted identity of the city .
Rendered with thousands of Byzantine-style glass in twilight colors reminiscent of aging frescos and the humid light of the Mediterranean , the scene as a whole inspires meditation . The vast image is a collage of sorts and includes fragmented renderings of local flora and fauna , artistic activities with accompanying instruments and tools ; paintbrushes , palette , and performing musicians . Endless glasses of wine , candles , carnival masks , architectural elements and fractured constructivist-like divisions of light anchor the dynamic movements depicted .