About Me
Note: For a more “personal” look into my life, see my first post.
JOHN CASTAGNO, born in Philadelphia, PA, 1930.
John Castagno has been an art researcher for the past twenty eight years and is also a multimedia artist and sculptor. He received his art education at the Fleisher Memorial, the Philadelphia College of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA.
John Castagno’s art is in more than forty museum and public collections in the United States, Israel, and Ireland, as well as in the private collections of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. John Castagno also lectures on art and art as an investment. He is the author of over ten art reference books published by Scarecrow Press, including the following (as well as his forthcoming books.)
ART BOOK PUBLICATIONS / PUBLISHER: SCARECROW PRESS of ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
- Artists As Illustrators: An International Directory with Signatures and Monograms, 1800-Present; Published 1989.
- American Artists: Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1989; published 1990.
- European Artists: Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1990; published, 1990.
- Artists’ Monograms & Indiscernable Signatures: An International Directory: 1800-1991, published, 1991.
- Old Masters: Signatures and Monograms, 1400-mid 19th Century, published 1995.
- Latin American Artists: Colonial Era to 1996, Signatures and Monograms, Biographical/Bibliographical and exhibition information, etc. Published 1996.
- American Artists: Signatures and Monograms, Vol. II 1800-2005 published, 2005.
- European Artists: Signatures and Monograms, Vol. II 1800-2005 published, 2005.
- Artists’ Monograms and Indiscernible Signatures: An International Directory, Vol. II, 1800-2005, Published 2005.
- Abstract Artists: Signatures and Monograms, An International Directory, 20th Century-2005, Published 2005.
ONE MAN EXHIBITIONS
| 1976 | University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene Newman Galleries, Philadelphia Phoenix Gallery, Philadelphia Free Library, Logan Square, Philadelphia Louvre 2 Gallery, New York City La Salle College, Philadelphia Western Savings Bank, Center City Philadelphia |
| 1975 | La Salle College, Philadelphia. |
| 1973 | Gallery 252, Philadelphia Aetna Federal Savings & Loan Bank, Philadelphia Villanova University, Villanova, PA Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, PA |
| 1972 | Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL Madison Art Center, Madison, WI Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Peoria, IL Tweed Museum, Duluth, MN |
| 1971 | Kent State University, Canton, Oh Widener Colleges (Formerly PMC), Chester, PA Peale Galleries, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia |
| 1970 | Grabar Gallery, Philadelphia |
| 1969 | Widener Colleges (formerly PMC), Chester, PA |
| 1965 | Community Center, Cape May, NJ Gallery 252, Philadelphia |
| 1964 | John Wanamaker, Philadelphia |
| 1963 | Center City YWCA, Philadelphia Head House Square, Philadelphia |
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| 1976 | University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene Tweed Museum, Duluth, MN Mangel Gallery, Bala Cynwyd, PA Art Alliance, Philadelphia Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia |
| 1975 | Olde England Gallery, Roanoke, VA |
| 1974 | Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center |
| 1973 | Museum of New Mexico Art Alliance, Philadelphia Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Peoria, IL |
| 1972 | Europhaus, Vienna, Austria McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia Springfield College, MA Oklahoma Art Center Plastic Club, Philadelphia Upper Merion Cultural Center, PA |
| 1970 | Philadelphia Automobile Club Philadelphia Sketch Club Makler Gallery, Philadelphia |
| 1969 | Delaware County Arts Festival, PA |
| 1964 | Gallery 252, Philadelphia |
EARLY COMPETITIVE JURIED EXHIBIT AWARDS
- First Sculpture Prize, Upper Merion Cultural Center, PA, 1972.
- Honorable Mention, Philadelphia Automobile Club, 1970.
- Honorable Mention, Delaware County Arts Festival, PA, 1970.
- First Prize, Delaware County Arts Festival, PA, 1969.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
- Arkansas Art Center, Arkansas
- American Heritage Publishers, New York City
- Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama
- Butler Institute of American Art, Ohio
- Carnegie Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
- Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Iowa
- Currier Gallery of Art, New Hampshire
- Delaware Art Museum, Delaware
- Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, Pennsylvania
- Kent State University, Ohio
- Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Illonois
- La Salle College, Philadelphia
- Los Angeles County Museum, California
- Lowe Art Museum, Florida
- Madison Art Center, Wisconsin
- Museum of Art University of Oregon
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Museum of Modern Art, Haifa, Israel
- Museum of New Mexico
- Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center
- Municipality of Dublin, Ireland
- Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia
- Free Library, Logan Square, Philadelphia
- Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona
- Portland Museum of Art, Maine
- Rutgers University, New Jersey
- Saint Lawrence University, New York
- Temple University, Philadelphia
- Tweed Museum, Minnesota
- University of North Dakota
- Upper Merion Cultural Center, Pennsylvania
- Wichita Art Museum, Kansas
- Widener Colleges, Pennsylvania
- William Penn Memorial Museum, Pennsylvania
- Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts
- Woodmere Art Museum, Pennsylvania
- Yellowstone County Museum, Montana
- Zanesvilla Art Institute, Ohio
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
- President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter
- President and Mrs. Gerald Ford
- Edward Bernstein, Philadelphia
- etc.
REVIEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & REPRODUCTIONS
| Philadelphia Spot Lite Magazine: | Week of May 29, 1965 |
| Art in Focus, Monthly Newsletter: | Summer 1969 October 1969 December 1969 May 1970 February 1971 March 1971 April 1971, Bl. & Wh. reproduction Summer 1971 November 1971 December 1971 February 1972 December 1972 April 1973 May 1973 Summer 1973 October 1973 November 1973, Bl. & Wh. reproduction June/Summer 1976 |
| Art Gallery Magazine: | March 4 / April 11, 1971 |
| Pennsylvania Voice, University of Pennsylvania: | March 10, 1971, Bl. & Wh. reproduction |
| Friends of the Barnes Foundation Newsletter: | March/April 1971 |
| Lakeview Museum for the Arts & Sciences, Illinois; Bulletin: | February/March 1972, Cover Color Reproduction |
| Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: | April, 23, 1972, Bl. & Wh. reproduction |
| Observer, Peoria, IL: | February, 23, 1972, Bl. & Wh. reproduction |
| Journal Star, Peoria: | February, 23, 1972, Bl. & Wh. reproduction & photograph of John Castagno. |
| Villanovan, Villanova University: | March 21, 1973 |
| Art News Magazine: | February 1974 |
| Active News, Philadelphia: | October 26, 1973 Bl. & Wh. reproduction & photograph of John Castagno. |
| Concentrics, Evanston Art Center, Newsletter: | October 1972 Bl. & Wh. reproduction & photograph of John Castagno. |
| National Newsletter, Artists Equity: | October 1972 |
| American Heritage: | June 1976, Color Reproduction |
| Allentown Art Museum exhibition catalog - “The American Flag in the Art of Our Country”: | June 14 to November 14, 1976, Bl. & Wh. Reproduction |
| Review Newspaper, Philadelphia: | June 10, 1965 May 10, 1973 October 18, 1973 May 13, 1976, Bl. & Wh Reproduction |
| Philadelphia Magazine: | June 1976, Bl. & Wh. Reproduction |
| Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Centennial / Bicentennial Summer Shows’ Flyer: | Summer 1976, Bl. & Wh. Reproduction |
| Temple Times, Temple University: | March 3, 1977, Bl. & Wh. reproduction |
| Temple University School of Pharmacy, Art Collection Catalog: | February 1977, Bl. & Wh. reproduction |
PHILANTHROPY
- Since 1972: Annual Donator of art works to museums and public institutions; also securing many other benefactors.
- 1980: Sending direct relief to earth quake victims in a southern Italian town.
WHO’S WHO IN AMERICAN ART
- Listed 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006
CIVIC
- Since 1985: Several awards for city greening; still on-going.
