Island Guizzo was born in Volpago del Montello, near Treviso, in 1915 and died in Rome in 1987. An Italian twentieth-century painter deeply connected with Venetian culture and the landscape of the Treviso area, he was described by Giovanni Comisso as “the painter of the city of Treviso.” His work remained firmly figurative, developing through portraits, landscapes, still lifes and compositions characterised by rich pictorial matter and a strong sensitivity to light.
Training between Treviso and Venice
Guizzo began his artistic training between Treviso and Venice, studying the great tradition of Venetian painting and showing particular interest in the masters of the Renaissance.
Although largely considered self-taught, he developed considerable skill in drawing and figure painting. His relationship with the Montello landscape remained fundamental throughout his career and became one of the recurring themes of his work.
The war and his return to painting
The Second World War interrupted his artistic activity. Guizzo served in the Italian Navy and, after the armistice of 8 September 1943, was captured in Greece and deported to German prisoner-of-war camps.
After returning to Italy at the end of the war, he resumed painting with determination. During the post-war years he participated in exhibitions and artistic events, gradually consolidating his position within the cultural environment of the Veneto region.
The move to Rome
In 1952 Guizzo moved to Rome, where he became acquainted with the artistic milieu of Via Margutta and Via del Babuino.
In the capital he frequented artists, writers and figures from the world of entertainment. Giorgio de Chirico appreciated his pictorial temperament, his command of drawing and his qualities as a portrait painter.
Portraiture became one of the fields in which Guizzo achieved particular recognition. Among the personalities he portrayed were Aldo Fabrizi and Ornella Vanoni.
Portraiture and the human figure
The human figure occupies an important place in Island Guizzo’s work.
In his portraits, the artist focused on the psychological presence of the sitter, constructing faces through confident drawing and free, vigorous brushwork. Even in larger compositions, the figure often retains a dominant role.
His reputation as a portrait painter was already recognised during his lifetime, while his broader figurative production reveals a sustained interest in character, gesture and human presence.
The Venetian landscape
Alongside portraiture, Guizzo maintained a lifelong connection with the landscapes of the Veneto region and, in particular, the Montello.
His landscapes are not simply naturalistic descriptions. The visible world is filtered through memory, colour and a vibrant pictorial surface, conveying a deeply personal relationship with the places of his childhood and artistic formation.
His connection with Treviso therefore remained strong even after his move to Rome.
His pictorial style
Guizzo’s painting belongs broadly to the tradition of Italian post-war figuration.
His language combines careful drawing, the legacy of Venetian painting and a free, material use of colour. Psychological observation predominates in his portraits, while colour and light acquire greater expressive autonomy in his landscapes and still lifes.
Although he came into contact with the artistic developments of the post-war period, Guizzo remained fundamentally faithful to figurative painting.
Collections and the artist’s legacy
Bibliographical sources record works by Island Guizzo in the collections of the Museo di Roma, as well as in numerous private collections in Italy and abroad.
His connection with Volpago del Montello has also remained alive after his death. In 2021 the municipality named the Island Guizzo Civic Centre after the artist and accompanied the initiative with an exhibition dedicated to his work.
Guizzo died in Rome in 1987 and, according to his wishes, was buried in Volpago del Montello.
Available work in the gallery
Among the works currently available at Egidi MadeinItaly is a still life with a vase of flowers, an oil on canvas signed and dated 1965.
The composition features a purple vase with white flowers and green leaves against a blue-green background. The vigorous brushwork and intense chromatic contrasts are characteristic of Guizzo’s mature figurative language.
You have a work by Island Guizzo and you want to sell it?
Call us at +39 3356585431 or send us a message on WhatsApp at +39 3356585431
YOU CAN TRUST US
The highest valuations, expertise, and reliability
Appraisals, purchases and sale of the works by this artist