a brief biography of the artist

    Emilio Grossi was born in Cranston Rhode Island and served in the U.S. Navy on submarines in the South Pacific during World War II and the Korean War. 

After earning a B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design and an M.F.A. from Yale University, he taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art where he founded the Department of Photography.

    Returning to New York, he was employed as a graphic designer with the firm of I.M.Pei & Associates as well as being a Visiting Critic at the University of Pennsylvania and an Adjunct Professor at The Cooper Union. Some of his design assignments included clients such as General Electric, Sperry Rand, TWA and Standard Brands. He was chosen to design a post card for the U.S. Postal Service commemorating 150 years of the U.S. Census. He became Art Director for Metromedia Television and subsequently Senior Art Director for Fox Television New York.

    Grossi’s photography shows included one man shows at the Cleveland Institute of Art, The University of Texas, the Mansfield Ohio Museum, the Providence Public Library and numerous group shows. His work was selected by Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art and he was also represented at George Eastman House, Rochester, NY.

    The U.S. Information Agency selected his photographs of James Brown at the Apollo for viewing in various European capitals. The photos were later used in a CNN documentary about Brown.

    Grossi’s work in Photography and Painting can be characterized as minimalist and shows strong influence of his teachers Josef Albers, Herbert Matter, Paul Rand, and Norman Ives. He specialized in black and white photography with a heavy emphasis on large format cameras. He has attributed his dual disciplines, painting and photography, to the influence of Charles Sheeler mastering both in his remarkable career.