Artist Collection Pino - 500 Piece Puzzle - The Kiss - Features a Cute Boy and Girl in a Garden with the Girl Giving the Boy a Kiss On the Cheek - A Very Sweet Picture

From wikipedia - Pino Daeni (November 8, 1939 - May 25, 2010) was an Italian Impressionist book illustrator and artist. He is known for his style of feminine, romantic women and strong men painted with loose but accurate brushwork. Considered one of the highest paid book illustrators of his time, he created over 3,000 book covers, movie posters and magazine illustrations. Born Giuseppe Dangelico Daeni in Bari, Italy,[1] in November 8, 1939, his talents were recognized by his first grade teacher, who advised Pino's father, Tommaso D'Angelico, to encourage his son's artistic precociousness. However, Tommaso remained skeptical of his son's future as an artist.[citation needed] He was a self-taught artist.[1] Eventually, Pino enrolled at the Art Institute of Bari, then went on to Milan's Academy of Brera in 1960, where he honed his craft for painting from the live nude. From 1960 to 1979, his work garnered several prizes and awards. During this period, he was commissioned by two of Italy's largest publishers, Mondadori and Rizzoli, for numerous book illustrations. After a visit to Manhattan in 1971, Pino's experiences of the art scene at that period led him to feel restricted in Milan, and in 1978, he moved to New York, where he believed the artistic freedom would allow him greater opportunities. He brought with him his family-wife Chiara, seven-year old daughter Paola, and five-year old son Massimo.[citation needed] Under the sponsorship of the Borghi Gallery, he held several shows in New York and Massachusetts.[2] His work caught the attention of both Dell and Zebra Book Publishers, and soon after, Bantam, Simon and Schuster, Penguin USA, Dell, and Harlequin. His romance novel covers, painted for such authors as Danielle Steel, Sylvie Summerfield and Amanda Ashley, helped sell millions of books using a then unknown fellow Milanese Italian model named Fabio. By the end of his career, he had designed about 3,000 book covers.[2]