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    Lost Art Salon
    • | All Art
    • | New Arrivals
    • I "The Way We Were"
    • | Gaétan Caron
    • | Freeman Sargent
    • | Yeon & David Warner
    • | Book Your Visit
    • | Artist by Name
    • | Art by Category
      • Abstract
      • Figurative
      • Landscape
      • Still Life
    • | Art by Medium
      • Drawings & Watercolors
      • Limited Edition Prints
      • Mixed Media
      • Paintings
      • Photography
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      Michael Insinna

      Michael Insinna

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      Michael Insinna (1912-1976)

      • The Collection
      • The Story
      • Born in Passaic, New Jersey in 1912, East Coast painter, teacher, and illustrator Michael Insinna began making art at an early age. He studied at Cooper Union and the Art Students League in New York City during the 1940s and taught art at the Franklin School of Professional Arts, New York City after completing his studies. Michael also worked as an illustrator for the Museum of Natural History in New York creating books for various publishing companies during the 1940's and 1950's. His art teachers and mentors were Robert Brackman (instructor Emeritus and disciple of Robert Henri), Ivan Olinsky and William Zorach. His work was exhibited around New York and New Jersey, including the prestigious Montclair Art Museum, and at the Carnegie International Show in Pittsburg, PA alongside Salvador Dali, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keefe, and Andrew Wyeth.

        In 1945 Michael met Eleanor “Cappi” Cappelletti, a fellow East Coast artist and student at the Art Students League. They would soon marry in New York in 1947. Her work is also featured in the Lost Art Salon collection, which you can view here. He painted throughout his career and in the 1970s his work shifted away from portraiture and realism towards abstraction.

        Spurred on by his early passion for painting Michael applied and was accepted to study art at Cooper Union in 1932, a private college in the East Village of New York City. Whilst studying Michael supported his family through a period of economic hardship by working during the day and balancing it with taking classes at night. In 1943, Michael was awarded a scholarship to study at the Art Students League, an independent art school also in New York City. Here, under the tutelage of noted portrait painter Robert Brackman. His studies were interrupted when he was called to join the army in June 1943, serving as a Corporal during the Second World War. At the end of the war, Michael returned to New York City, resuming his studies with Brackman and other influential artists such as Ivan Olinsky, the portraitist, and William Zorach, known for his work as a sculptor. Brackman’s influence on Michael’s work is evident in the quality of light depicted in Michael’s portraiture, which also share a similar naturalism and brushstrokes. However, Michael’s body of work is distinct from his mentor’s in his incorporation of loose and gestural brushwork and noticeably brighter and more vibrant colors.

        In 1948 Michael spent a summer studying at the San Miguel de Allende Art Institute with his wife Cappi, whom he met during his time at the Art Students League. This summer would leave an indelible mark on Michael’s work, influencing his choice of colors and figures for the rest of his career. After completing his formal arts education, Michael was offered a teaching position at the Franklin School of Professional Arts in New York City in 1949. During his five years at the Franklin School, he taught life drawing, anatomy, and composition.

        In 1954, Michael began working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York from 1953 until 1967 as an illustrator in the department of Paleontology, studying and drawing fossils for museum publications such as the Natural History Magazine, Novitates, the museum’s news journal. During this period, he also worked as a freelance illustrator for various publishing companies illustrating both young adult and adult books. After 14 years at the Museum of Natural History he returned to teaching, joining the staff of the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut in 1967-74.

        Throughout his career Michael exhibited his work around New York and New Jersey, including the notable Montclair Art Museum in 1947, 1948, and 1949. He also showed his work at the National Academy of Design in the 123rd Annual Exhibit March 1947 and the Carnegie International Show, Painting in the United States 1949 in Pittsburg PA with the likes of Salvador Dali, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keefe, and Andrew Wyeth. While Michael’s early work showed a pronounced interest in realism and portraiture, likely due to the influence of his teacher Robert Brackman, then during the 1970s, his work shifted towards abstraction. Michael was an avid collector of art and books and continued painting until his death in 1976 in Westport, Connecticut at the age of 64.

      View All _|_ View Available _|_ View Sold
      Modernist Figurative Deconstruction <br>1950s Etching <br><br>#A9498
      Modernist Figurative Deconstruction
      1950s Etching

      #A9498
      Michael Insinna Sold $745
      Sold
      Intimate Male Portrait <br>1940s Oil <br><br>#A9507
      Intimate Male Portrait
      1940s Oil

      #A9507
      Michael Insinna Sold $695
      Sold
      Serene Portrait with Flower Hat <br>1970s Oil <br><br>#A9552
      Serene Portrait with Flower Hat
      1970s Oil

      #A9552
      Michael Insinna Sold $1,195
      Sold
      Modernist Jazz Band <br>1970s Oil on Paper <br><br>#A9392
      Modernist Jazz Band
      1970s Oil on Paper

      #A9392
      Michael Insinna Sold $895
      Sold
      Apres of Degas, <i>Ballerina</i> <br>1970s Acrylic <br><br>#A9496
      Apres of Degas, Ballerina
      1970s Acrylic

      #A9496
      Michael Insinna Sold $1,295
      Sold
      Abstracted Modernist Male Figure <br>1960s Oil <br><br>#A2211
      Abstracted Modernist Male Figure
      1960s Oil

      #A2211
      Michael Insinna Sold $745
      Sold
      Abstracted Nude Figure <br>1940s Pastel <br><br>#A9131
      Abstracted Nude Figure
      1940s Pastel

      #A9131
      Michael Insinna Sold $525
      Sold
      Bustling Modernist People Scene <br>1960s Charcoal <br><br>#A9146
      Bustling Modernist People Scene
      1960s Charcoal

      #A9146
      Michael Insinna Sold $465
      Sold
      1940s Pastel on Paper Study for a Portrait <br><br>#A9136
      1940s Pastel on Paper Study for a Portrait

      #A9136
      Michael Insinna Sold $395
      Sold
      Scene of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico <br>1960s Oil <br><br>#A9161
      Scene of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
      1960s Oil

      #A9161
      Michael Insinna $995
      <i>Musicians 2</i> <br>1970s Oil <br><br>#A9133
      Musicians 2
      1970s Oil

      #A9133
      Michael Insinna Sold $465
      Sold
      Muted Abstracted People Scene <br>1967 Oil <br><br>#A9144
      Muted Abstracted People Scene
      1967 Oil

      #A9144
      Michael Insinna $695
      Study for a Portrait <br>Oil & Oil Pastel <br><br>#A9122
      Study for a Portrait
      Oil & Oil Pastel

      #A9122
      Michael Insinna $445
      <i>Procession</i> <br>1960s Oil on Paper <br><br>#A9139
      Procession
      1960s Oil on Paper

      #A9139
      Michael Insinna $425
      Monochromatic Architectural Detail Sketch <br>1930-40s Graphite <br><br>#A2217
      Monochromatic Architectural Detail Sketch
      1930-40s Graphite

      #A2217
      Michael Insinna Sold $535
      Sold
      Impressionist Female Nude From Behind <br>1960s Oil <br><br>#A2212
      Impressionist Female Nude From Behind
      1960s Oil

      #A2212
      Michael Insinna Sold $545
      Sold
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