Umberto Romano (1906–1982)
Umberto Romano was a multi-talented artist, a gifted teacher and an important figure in the history of art on Cape Ann. Born in Italy and brought to America as a child, while still young Romano showed a strong interest in art and a natural talent in painting. In 1922, he was accepted into the National Academy of Design in New York, going on to win the Academy’s Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship which allowed him to study in Europe. In 1928—at the age of 22—Romano had his first one man show at the Rehn Galleries in New York City. He went on to excel in drawing, printmaking, sculpture and painting. In the field of painting, his work included easel painting as well as murals.
By the 1930s, Umberto Romano was teaching regularly, sharing his passion for art with others. From 1934 to 1940, he was head of the Worcester Art Museum School and in 1933 he began teaching in Gloucester. He purchased the Gallery-on-the-Moors in East Gloucester in 1937, making it the headquarters for the Romano School of Art. For the next quarter of a century, working out of the Gallery overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Romano challenged and inspired artists of all ages, urging them to study the great artists of the past yet stay tuned to the world around them. “The artist puts himself into every painting,” Romano once said. “He is something of a filter. He paints what he sees, but it is always filtered through his soul.”
In 2007, working in collaboration with the artist’s wife, Clorinda, and son, Robin, the Cape Ann Museum mounted the exhibition, Man Sings of Man, a retrospective of Romano’s work. The exhibition showcased work spanning six decades. The Museum currently holds more than 25 works by the artist in its permanent collection, including oils, drawings, lithographs and sculpture. Over time it will serve as a repository for additional work and for the artist’s archives.
The Umberto Romano and Clorinda Romano Foundation, established in 2016, celebrates Romano’s legacy on Cape Ann through arts education and appreciation and by fostering the work of emerging and/or working artists.
Umberto Romano (1906–1982)
Umberto Romano was a multi-talented artist, a gifted teacher and an important figure in the history of art on Cape Ann. Born in Italy and brought to America as a child, while still young Romano showed a strong interest in art and a natural talent in painting. In 1922, he was accepted into the National Academy of Design in New York, going on to win the Academy’s Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship which allowed him to study in Europe. In 1928—at the age of 22—Romano had his first one man show at the Rehn Galleries in New York City. He went on to excel in drawing, printmaking, sculpture and painting. In the field of painting, his work included easel painting as well as murals.
By the 1930s, Umberto Romano was teaching regularly, sharing his passion for art with others. From 1934 to 1940, he was head of the Worcester Art Museum School and in 1933 he began teaching in Gloucester. He purchased the Gallery-on-the-Moors in East Gloucester in 1937, making it the headquarters for the Romano School of Art. For the next quarter of a century, working out of the Gallery overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Romano challenged and inspired artists of all ages, urging them to study the great artists of the past yet stay tuned to the world around them. “The artist puts himself into every painting,” Romano once said. “He is something of a filter. He paints what he sees, but it is always filtered through his soul.”
In 2007, working in collaboration with the artist’s wife, Clorinda, and son, Robin, the Cape Ann Museum mounted the exhibition, Man Sings of Man, a retrospective of Romano’s work. The exhibition showcased work spanning six decades. The Museum currently holds more than 25 works by the artist in its permanent collection, including oils, drawings, lithographs and sculpture. Over time it will serve as a repository for additional work and for the artist’s archives.
The Umberto Romano and Clorinda Romano Foundation, established in 2016, celebrates Romano’s legacy on Cape Ann through arts education and appreciation and by fostering the work of emerging and/or working artists.
Selected Works by Umberto Romano
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CargoArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: c. 1942-43 Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 1996.64 Credit Line: Gift of Clorinda Romano, the wife of the artist, 1996 Collections: Uncategorized |
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DianaArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: c. 1930 Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 2007.08 Credit Line: Gift of Clorinda Romano and U. Roberto Romano, 2007 Collections: Faces of Cape Ann: Portraits
A modern rendition of a classical theme, this painting by Italian born artist Umberto Romano is typical of his early works and helped earn him recognition as one of the foremost Classical Modernists of the 1930s. In Roman mythology, Diana is the virgin goddess of the hunt, praised for her beauty, strength, athleticism and hunting skill. Bearing the accoutrements of the huntress—bow, arrows and quiver—Romano's Diana wears fashions of the early 1930s, including pearls. |
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Homage to Rembrandt- The ImmortalArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: 1950's Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 2003.50 Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Clorinda Romano and her son, Mr. Robin Romano, 2003 Collections: Uncategorized |
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New England TragedyArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: 1934 Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 1995.78 Credit Line: Gift of Clorinda Romano, the wife of the artist, 1995 Collections: Land and Seascapes |
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Selected Works by Umberto Romano
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CargoArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: c. 1942-43 Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 1996.64 Credit Line: Gift of Clorinda Romano, the wife of the artist, 1996 Collections: Uncategorized |
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DianaArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: c. 1930 Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 2007.08 Credit Line: Gift of Clorinda Romano and U. Roberto Romano, 2007 Collections: Faces of Cape Ann: Portraits
A modern rendition of a classical theme, this painting by Italian born artist Umberto Romano is typical of his early works and helped earn him recognition as one of the foremost Classical Modernists of the 1930s. In Roman mythology, Diana is the virgin goddess of the hunt, praised for her beauty, strength, athleticism and hunting skill. Bearing the accoutrements of the huntress—bow, arrows and quiver—Romano's Diana wears fashions of the early 1930s, including pearls. |
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Homage to Rembrandt- The ImmortalArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: 1950's Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 2003.50 Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Clorinda Romano and her son, Mr. Robin Romano, 2003 Collections: Uncategorized |
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New England TragedyArtist: Umberto Romano Date of Work: 1934 Medium: Oil on canvas Accession Number: 1995.78 Credit Line: Gift of Clorinda Romano, the wife of the artist, 1995 Collections: Land and Seascapes |
View CAM's Rights and Reproduction policy