Peter Paone

PETER PAONE (1936 - 2026): Peter Paone was an American painter, printmaker, and illustrator born and raised in South Philadelphia. He studied drawing at the Fleisher Art Memorial and painting at the Barnes Foundation before earning a BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1958. Paone developed a highly imaginative style that combined Surrealist, Symbolist, and narrative imagery with intricate detail and vibrant color, often working from memory rather than directly from nature. His subjects included figures, landscapes, still lifes, flowers, and fantastical scenes, frequently populated by mysterious or dreamlike characters and objects. A Guggenheim Fellowship enabled him to study miniature painting in London from 1966 to 1969, and he also received grants from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and other arts organizations. Paone taught at Pratt Institute and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he established the printmaking department and served as its first chair. His work was exhibited extensively in the United States and Europe and is held in major collections including the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Woodmere Art Museum.