Professor Emeritus Truman Capone awarded grand prize in international art exhibition

Truman Capone of Blacksburg, Va., professor emeritus and former director of the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech, won the grand prize in a recent international exhibition. 

Capone’s pieces Chromatmos I and Chromatmos II were part of SMALL WONDERS, Piccole Meraviglie, a juried exhibition held April 20 to May 4, 2013, at the LINEA Contemporary Art Space in Florence, Italy.

As the grand prize winner, Capone will receive full participation in the IX Florence Biennale Nov. 30 to Dec. 8, 2013, in the historic Fortezza da Basso.

The SMALL WONDERS, Piccole Meraviglie, exhibition explored the artistic process in small dimensions. The exhibition included artists from around the world, working in any style, technique, or material so long as the sum of two sides of the work was less than 60 centimeters.

Capone’s artwork was exhibited alongside works from artists in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Finland, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, and the United States.

A jury comprising representatives from art, cultural, and educational institutions and journalism evaluated the artwork and awarded prizes.

Capone received his bachelor's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree from Virginia Tech, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Radford University. He served as director and professor of art and design in the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech and has worked as a professional illustrator and graphic designer. His artwork appears in juried and invitational exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, and won numerous awards. He has also participated in more than 95 National Collage Society exhibitions.

His current mixed-media creations merge traditional and digital media. Capone’s aesthetic catalyzes emotional, historical, spiritual, and mythical elements, while rendering dimensions of color and geometry with emotive atmospheric connotations.