Charles Fazzino, born in New York in 1955, is one of America's best-known artists. The son of a Finnish sculptress and an Italian designer, he appeared at a young age with his first exhibitions after studying at the School of Visual Arts, one of the leading American colleges for art and design. Fazzino established three-dimensional pop art globally and is today the most famous 3-D pop artist in the world. His comic-inspired paintings speak of the lively and glittering life of the metropolises, especially his hometown of New York. But Fazzino has also long since discovered a heart for Europe, as documented by numerous works he has dedicated to cities such as London, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt. Fazzino is equally concerned with sporting themes. He is a passionate sports fan and has been the official artist for the American Superbowl for years.

Urban joie de vivre with a love of detail

In Fazzino's paintings, one is always impressed by the sheer endless details, which are spread over several picture planes and bring movement into the depiction. One literally sinks into the wonderful pictures, becomes enthralled, smiles at the numerous little anecdotes, the subtle humor and feels very well entertained. It is always worthwhile to look closely, because the attention to detail reveals the meticulousness and admirable creative power of the artist, who seems to miss nothing. The cheerfulness of his pictorial compositions literally beams at you and offers pure urban joie de vivre. At the same time, Fazzino has the gift of still seeing and experiencing the world as he did as a child. Full of confidence and joie de vivre, his paintings evoke this feeling when viewed.

Art as the elixir of life

For Fazzino, art is, as he says, an elixir of life that makes people smile. Anyone who has experienced the elaborate process by which Fazzino's 3-D works are created knows how to appreciate the artist's artistry and extraordinary talent: First the sketch, then the painting, finally the lithograph. Then the individual pieces are meticulously cut out and precisely pasted in up to three layers to the appropriate places. Only then is a Fazzino work of art complete.