Nicolas Carone American, 1917-2010

Nicolas Carone was born in New York City and was raised in Hoboken, New Jersey. He began his formal art studies at the age of 11 at the Leonardo da Vinci School. Subsequently, he studied at the National Academy of Design under Leon Kroll, the Art Students League of New York, Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts, and the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. He served as the assistant to Leon Kroll during WPA on Worcester War Memorial Mural from 1938 to 1941. Carone was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1941 and the Fulbright Fellowship in 1949.

After the war, in 1945, Carone went to Rome, Italy for three and a half years, partly on a Fulbright fellowship. There, he had his first solo exhibition. He also formed a close friendship with his neighbour, Mark Rothko. Once he returned to the United States, Carone continued exhibiting his works. He became close friends with Jackson Pollock and participated in the 9th Street Art Exhibition in 1951.

Carone’s most famous works were large monochromatic paintings which were characterized by shifting lines and layered brushwork. These works displayed his extensive art historical study as well as the instinctive painting processes of Abstract Expressionism.

Carone taught at a number of universities including Yale, Columbia, Brandeis, Cornell, Cooper Union, and Skowhegan School. He became a founding faculty member of the New York Studio School of Abstract Expressionism. Carone died on July 15, 2010 at the age of 93 in Hudson NY.