Giovanni Martino (1908-1998) American
Birthplace/Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Biography/Statement:
Giovanni Martino, a National Academy of Design member, was born on May 1, 1908 in Philadelphia PA where all seven brothers and one sister, Filomina, Frank, Antonio, Albert, Ernest, Giovanni, Edmond, and William became painters. They were under the tutelage of their eldest brother, Frank, who in the late 1920s, founded the first commercial art studio, Martino Studios, at 27 South 18th Street.
Besides studying with his two eldest brothers, Giovanni also studied with Albert Jean Adolph at La France Institute, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Graphic Sketch Club, and Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia. In his mid teens he accompanied his two eldest brothers to New Hope searching for subjects to paint. In the 1930s, he also started to paint in Manayunk, a hilly mill town along the Schuylkill River.