Donn DeVita 1931-2010
“To view his art is to truly enjoy oneself… a unique mastery of his materials…” – John Howard Copley
Donn DeVita (1931-2010) was born in Scarsdale, New York. Soon after the family moved to their Connecticut farmland, where he attended Windham High School, Norwich Art School and served four years with the United States Navy in the Korean War. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and his MA from Columbia University in New York. His professional experience includes illustration for many well known authors including “Bird in the Bush,” by Kenneth Rexroth, published by New Directions… Other publishers include Doubleday, Crown, Benziger Brothers, Teachers College Press, Hanson Enterprises, Dutton, Frederick Fell Inc. In addition, his paintings earned him numerous commissions by discerning textile firms and interior designers. The paintings are a sum of his total existence with each canvas being an isolated concept of a particular image. In some, the subtle interweaving of subject background gives a fluid movement that pushes and pulls the paint into concepts of gossamer matter. In his art, he creates not merely the appearance of things but a larger truth that merges the world of the subject idea with the intangible world of man’s image abstractions. The nuances of color complexities and tactile revelations merge into sensitive, unassuming statements that give the viewer a new kind of intimate pleasure experience.
Greensburg Art Show, PA / Rochester Arts Festival, NY / Boston Arts Festival, MA / Essex Art Gallery, CT / Washington Square Arts Festival, NYC / Gallery 63, Forest Hills, NYC /Lys Gallery, NYC / Narrow Gallery NYC / Frances Dean Gallery, Miami, FL / Lower Valley Art Guild, Old Lyme, CT / *AIGA 1960 / Awixa Pond Art Gallery, Bay Shore, NY / *MOAF, Mystic CT / *Old Saybrook Art Show, CT / Wickford Art Festival, RI / Narraganset Art Festival, RI / Modern Masters Gallery, NYC / National Cancer Foundation, Hartford CT / * Niantic Art Show, CT / Temple Beth El, Hartford, CT / Beth Shalom Synagogue, Hartford, CT / Woonsocket Institution of Savings, RI / Burndy’s, Stamford, CT / Better Homes and Gardens, Spring 1966 / Worden Hall Art Gallery, East Dennis, MA / Temple Beth El, Cherry Hill, NJ / New Haven Art Festival, CT / *4th Annual Hartford Art Festival, CT / Jinx Harris Gallery, Atlantic City, NJ / Helen Mills Gallery, NYC / Jenedis, NYC / *Plymouth Meeting, PA / Third Eye Gallery, Provincetown, MA / Copley Society, Boston MA / Yarmouthport Galleries, Yarmouthport MA / Connecticut Bank and Trust, Hartford, CT / Hingham Public Library, Hingham, MA / Orleans Art Gallery, Orleans, MA / 13th Annual Scituate Arts Festival / Norwich Art School, Norwich, CT/ *6th Westchester Art Exhibit / Borgia Gallery, Our Lady of the Elms College, Chicopee, MA / Gabriel’s Gallery II, Hillsdale, NJ / Cape Playhouse, Dennis, MA / Emerald Gallery, Hollywood, FL / Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Art, Barnstable, MA / Dimension Art, Inc., Norwood, MA / Munson Gallery, Osterville, MA / Midland Crafters, Pinehurst, NC / Lookmasters Guild, NY / Century Elms, Franklin Lakes, NJ / Galerie Jaclande, Springfield, VA / Schoolhouse Gallery, Sanibel, FL / Sandy Neck “Fragile Spit” and “Save the Crow” fundraiser art show at Worden Hall Art Gallery.
*Awards and Prizes