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Athos Menaboni

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Athos Menaboni
Born
Athos Rodolfo Giorgio Alessandro Menaboni

(1895-10-20)October 20, 1895
DiedJuly 18, 1990(1990-07-18) (aged 94)
NationalityAmerican
EducationAccademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
Occupation(s)Artist (Most famous for naturalist paintings of birds and botanicals)
Years active1921-1987
SpouseSara Regina Arnold Menaboni (m. 1928)

Athos Rodolfo Giorgio Alessandro Menaboni (October 20, 1895 – July 18, 1990) was an Italian-born American artist who spent the bulk of his career in Atlanta, Georgia.

Early life and education

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Menaboni was born in Livorno, Italy, and developed a profound affinity for nature from his early years.[1] Raised in a family with a strong connection to the maritime world, his father, Averardo, was a successful ship chandler. Young Athos developed a lifelong love for birds and animals that would later inspire his art.[2]

Menaboni's artistic talent emerged early. At age nine, he began art lessons with painter Ugo Manaresi and muralist Charles Doudelet. Later, he continued his artistic education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence until World War I disrupted his studies.[1]

Career

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After serving in the Italian army during World War I, Menaboni immigrated to the United States in 1921, initially settling in New York City. He eventually found his way to Atlanta, where he would spend the rest of his life. In Atlanta, Menaboni's artistic talents quickly caught the attention of prominent architect Philip Trammell Shutze, leading to numerous commissions for decorative painting in private residences and public buildings.[1]

Bird paintings

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In 1937, Menaboni's artistic focus shifted when he returned to his childhood interest in birds. Inspired by the avian wonders he observed in nature, Menaboni began meticulously painting birds in their natural habitats. His oil paintings, often mistaken for watercolors due to their delicate and lifelike quality, became his signature style.[3][2]

The following have been drawn or painted by Athos Menaboni:[4]

  1. American Black Duck
  2. American Coot
  3. American Crow
  4. American Golden Plover
  5. American Goldfinch
  6. American Kestrel (also called Sparrow Hawk)
  7. American Redstart
  8. American Robin
  9. American Wigeon
  10. American Woodcock
  11. Ani
  12. Bald Eagle
  13. Baltimore Oriole
  14. Barn Owl
  15. Barn Swallow
  16. Barred Owl
  17. Belted Kingfisher
  18. Black Brant Goose
  19. Black Francolin
  20. Black Grouse
  21. Black Minorca
  22. Black Skimmer
  23. Black-crowned Night-Heron
  24. Black-necked Stilt
  25. Blue Grosbeak
  26. Blue Jay
  27. Blue-winged Teal
  28. Boat-tailed Grackle
  29. Bobolink
  30. Bronzed Grackle
  31. Brown Leghorn
  32. Brown Pelican
  33. Brown Thrasher
  34. Bufflehead
  35. California Gull
  36. California Quail (also called Valley Quail)
  37. Canada Goose
  38. Canvasback
  39. Capercaillie
  40. Carolina Chickadee
  41. Cedar Waxwing
  42. Chukar Partridge
  43. Common Goldeneye
  44. Common Kingfisher (also called Eurasian Kingfisher and River Kingfisher)
  45. Common Loon
  46. Common Munia
  47. Common Nightingale
  48. Common Raven
  49. Common Tern
  50. Common Yellowthroat
  51. Cooper's Hawk
  52. Darked-eyed Junko (also called Slate-colored Junko)
  53. Eastern Bluebird
  54. Eastern Kingbird
  55. Eastern Meadowlark
  56. Eastern Starling
  57. Eastern Towhee
  58. Eastern Wild Turkey
  59. European Goldfinch
  60. Evening Grosbeak
  61. Field Sparrow
  62. Firefinch
  63. Flamingo
  64. Forster's Tern
  65. Gadwall
  66. Gambel's Quail
  67. Glossy Ibis
  68. Golden Eagle
  69. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  70. Goldeneye
  71. Gray Catbird
  72. Gray Partridge
  73. Gray-cheeked Thrush
  74. Great Blue Heron
  75. Great Horned Owl
  76. Greater Prairie Chicken
  77. Greater Yellowlegs
  78. Green Heron
  79. Green-winged Teal
  80. Grey Waxbill
  81. Hooded Merganser
  82. Hooded Warbler
  83. Horned Grebe
  84. Indian Peafowl
  85. Indigo Bunting
  86. Kentucky Warbler
  87. Killdeer
  88. Lady Amherst's Pheasant
  89. Laughing Gull
  90. Least Tern
  91. Lesser Scaup
  92. Little Blue Heron
  93. Louisiana Water Thrush
  94. Magpie
  95. Mallard
  96. Merriam Turkey
  97. Mountain Bluebird
  98. Mourning Dove
  99. Northern Bobwhite (also called Bobwhite Quail and Virginia Quail)
  100. Northern Cardinal
  101. Northern Flicker (also called Yellow-shafted Flicker)
  102. Northern Harrier
  103. Northern Mockingbird
  104. Northern Pintail
  105. Northern Saw-whet Owl
  106. Northern Shoveler
  107. Orange-breasted Waxbill
  108. Orange-cheeked Waxbill
  109. Osprey
  110. Painted Bunting
  111. Peregrine Falcon
  112. Pileated Woodpecker
  113. Piping Plover
  114. Purple Gallinule
  115. Purple Martin
  116. Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu Finch
  117. Reddish Egret
  118. Redhead
  119. Red-headed Woodpecker
  120. Red-tailed Hawk
  121. Red-winged Blackbird
  122. Reeves’ Pheasant
  123. Ring-billed Gull
  124. Ring-necked Duck
  125. Ring-necked Pheasant
  126. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  127. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  128. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  129. Ruddy Duck
  130. Ruffed Grouse
  131. Scarlet Tanager
  132. Scoter
  133. Screech Owl
  134. Semipalmated Plover
  135. Sharp-skinned Hawk
  136. Sharp-tailed Grouse
  137. Snow Goose
  138. Snowy Egret
  139. Song Sparrow
  140. Spanish Red-legged Partridge
  141. Spotted Sandpiper
  142. Summer Tanager
  143. Swallow-tailed Kite
  144. Toucan
  145. Tree Swallow
  146. Tri-colored Mannikin
  147. Troupial
  148. Tufted Titmouse
  149. Tundra Swan
  150. Turkey Vulture
  151. Turkish Gray Partridge
  152. Two-colored Mannikin
  153. Western Meadowlark
  154. White Ibis
  155. White-breasted Nuthatch
  156. White-tailed Kite
  157. White-throated Sparrow
  158. Whooping Crane
  159. Wilson's Snipe
  160. Wood Duck
  161. Wood Thrush
  162. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  163. Yellow-breasted Chat
  164. Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
  165. Zebra Finch

Decorative Arts Projects

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[4]

1. 1927-1928 – Swan House (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - First floor: marbleized areas in several rooms. Second floor: marbleized walls and decorative painting in the master dressing room/bath. It's now a house museum.

2. 1928 – Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama (Atlanta, Georgia) - For the City of Atlanta - Restored the sky and painted additional clouds.*

3. 1929 – Rhodes-Haverty Building (Atlanta, Georgia) - For J. J. Haverty - Decorative painting on the lobby ceiling.

4. 1930 – May Patterson Goodrum House (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - First floor: marbleized areas in several rooms, decorative painting in the breakfast room, and decorative painting on the ceiling and frieze in the dining room. It's now a house museum.

5. 1930 – Saint Joseph's Hospital (Atlanta, Georgia) - For J. J. Haverty - Two chapel murals.

6. 1931 – The Temple (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - Marbleized wood columns in the sanctuary's altar area.

7. 1931 – Al Sihah Shrine Temple (Macon, Georgia) - For William Elliott Dunwoody Jr. - Main hall murals and decorative painting.

8. 1933 – The Citizens and Southern National Bank (Macon, Georgia) - For William Elliott Dunwoody Jr. - Five banking room murals.

9. 1934 – English Avenue School (Atlanta, Georgia) - For J. J. Haverty (WPA Project) - A library mural.*

10. 1936-1938 – R. J. Reynolds Mansion (Sapelo Island, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - Ground floor: game room murals. First floor: sunroom mural, indoor pool mural.* Second floor: banquet hall murals.

11. 1939 – Capital City Club (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - Fifteen large paintings (painted in reverse) on glass and then silvered to create mirrors.

12. 1940 – New York World's Fair (Queens, New York) - For the “America at Home” Building/Exhibit (April to October 1940) - An overmantel mural used to decorate a room by Atlanta interior designer Mary Miller.*

Notes:

  1. * The work no longer exists.
  2. Menaboni began selling paintings of birds in 1937, but was, in the 1950s, commissioned to create murals by The Citizens and Southern National Bank for branches in Atlanta, Decatur, and Albany, Georgia.

Magazines

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Menaboni's art has been featured on the covers of many prominent magazines, such as Sports Afield, Sports Illustrated (2 covers), The Progressive Farmer (15 covers) and Southern Living. These engagements led to other jobs for the artist.[4]

A 1950 TIME article referred to Menaboni as "Audubon's Heir".[5]

Books

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In 1950 Sara and Athos Menaboni published Menaboni’s Birds, a book of his paintings with accompanying descriptions written by Sara. It was named one of the “Fifty Best Books of the Year” by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. A revised edition was published in 1984.

Menaboni illustrated Never the Nightingale (1951) by Daniel Whitehead Hicky. Since 1957 his art has appeared in every edition of The World Book Encyclopedia (Volume B, “Birds”).[4]

Exhibitions and tributes

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Menaboni's work received exhibitions at institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the National Audubon Society. His collaboration with Robert W. Woodruff of The Coca-Cola Company helped solidified his reputation, with bird paintings featured on his annual personal Christmas cards for over four decades.[3][6]

Don Russell Clayton, an alumnus of Kennesaw State University and a friend of Menaboni, donated his collection of Menaboni's works to the Zuckerman Museum of Art and has presented multiple lectures on the artist. He has also curated numerous exhibitions.[1][2][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Athos Menaboni". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  2. ^ a b c "Athos Menaboni – Arts". www.kennesaw.edu. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  3. ^ a b "WHO IS ATHOS MENABONI? |". Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  4. ^ a b c d sbelletti. "Athos Menaboni Collections". Troup County Archives & Legacy Museum on Main. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  5. ^ TIME (1950-12-04). "Art: Audubon's Heir". TIME.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  6. ^ "Athos Menaboni History and Style |". Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  7. ^ Writer, Patrick Yost Staff (2023-07-03). "Menaboni presentation to delve into lives of curious minded couple". Morgan County Citizen. Retrieved 2024-03-03.