OSAMU TANIMOTO (artistic name: GIOVANNI MICICO)

Biography: Giovanni Micico (b.1982, Tokyo) lives and works in , . At an early age, he showed an inclination towards art, music and poetry, winning an award for his of the cherry blossom at the age of nine, in his native . His lifelong dream was to become a painter so in 2005, he decided to take the path to become a professional. In 2008, he arrived in Italy in Florence to study from the Old Masters studying the mediums used in the Renaissance: egg tempera, Fresco, oil, silverpoint and feathered pen. While deep in his studies, the compositional splendor of Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio left an impression and he has immersed himself in practicing figurative art studying and teaching for 10 years. He has been an instructor of drawing in the Sacred Art School Firenze since 2013. He graduated from the Russian Academy of Art in Florence in 2014. In Florence, he also went through a conversion to Catholicism, which he considers the greatest gift he has ever received. Micico specializes in the religious compositions that narrate the profound experience of the Revelation. This personal tone of his work is accompanied with a humanistic value. His “Prodigal Son” with the Jeans was in the Jubilee Church in Carpi, Modena, Italy for the Holy Year of Mercy in 2016. It preserves and renews the classical imagery of the sacred art (The monochromatic version of the same subject is displayed in the St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA). His commissioned works include “The Unexpected Feast (St. Francis and the friar)” in Fiesole, Italy. Micico’s naturalistic character ties him with his surroundings; people, still life, and landscapes; all which are subjects he represents in his work. His works are currently displayed in the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan.

Education 2010 – 2014 Diploma in Fine Arts Majoring in Painting and Drawing, Russian Academy of Art. Florence, Italy. 2008 – 2010 Bachelor Degree in Art Restoration, Lorenzo de’ Medici – Marist College. Florence, Italy.

Selected Solo Exhibition 2015 “Conversion” Cloister of the Basilica Santissima Annunziata in Florence, Italy. November.

Selected Group Exhibitions 2017 The 4th Meeting of Catholic Journalists, Sala Kursaal, Grottamare, Italy. June. “Festa Cultura San Giovanni Battista” Palazzo Rosselli del Turco, Florence, June. 2016 “In Una Carne, Il Senso del Corpo” Museo di Opera del Duomo. Florence, Italy. November. “6th Nationwide Juried Catholic Arts Exhibition”, St. Vincent Gallery. Latrobe, PA, United States. October to December. “Rebirth of Figurative Sacred Art” Collective exhibition. Fortezza Vecchia, Livorno, Italy. September. The 3rd Meeting of Catholic Journalists, Sala Kursaal, Grottamare, Italy. June. The 2nd Russian Academy of Art collective exhibition of Alumni and Faculties. . Florence, Italy. February. 2015 The 1st Russian Academy of Art collective exhibition of Alumni and Faculties. Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Florence, Italy. Dicember. “Open Day” The Russian Academy of Art. Florence. May. “Ti chiamo per nome” Oratorio di San Filippo Neri. Florence. May. “Relax/ Art in the Park” The limonaia of the Stibbert . Florence. May. “Tribute to Shakespeare”. The British Institute of Florence, Italy. April. 2014 “Russian Portraits” presented by La ProLoco di Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, at Il Palazzo Consiliare , Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. Italia. Dec-Jan. “Pictura Ut Pictura”. Officina della Memoria e dell' Immagine, Fiuggi, Italy. 26, July – 14, September. University of Fribourg, Switzerland, June. Student exhibition of the Russian Academy of Art in Florence. Italy. 2012 Student exhibition of the Russian Academy of Art in Florence. Italy. 2009 Santa Reparata International Art School, Florence, Italy. “City–Wide Art VIII” St. James Church, Florence, Italy. 2008 “City–Wide Art VII” St. James Church, Florence, Italy. 2008.

Magazine and Periodical 2017 Arte e Artisti Comtemporanei, 78, Casa Editorice Pagine. 2016 “Catholic Art Exhibition combines tradition and contemporary”, Pittsburg Post-Gazette, Nov 15, http://www.post-gazette.com “Catholic Arts exhibit offers sacred images in many media at St.Vincent College”, Trib LIVE, Nov 4 Zenit “Per dipingere bello non basta tecnica ma ci vuole anima” June 17 2015 “The Making of a Catholic Painter”, Regina Magazine Vol.15, “The Secret Catholic Insider, Guide to Italy”

Catalog 2016 “In Una Carne, il Senso del Corpo” Exhibition catalog at the Grande Museo dell Duomo in Florence. Italy. “Rebirth of Figurative Sacred Art” Exhibition catalog at Fortezza Vecchia in Livorno, Italy 2014 “Russian Portrait” Exhibition catalog in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Italy. “Pictura Ut Pictura”. Exhibition catalog in Fiuggi, Italy.

Selected Public Collections 2018 “The Annunciation” Taipei, Taiwan. 2017 “The Return of the Prodigal Son”(Drawing) St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA. 2016 “Unexpected Feast (St. Francis and the friar)” Convent of St. Francis, Fiesole, , Italy. 2015 “The Return of the Prodigal Son” (painting), Carpi, Modena, Italy.

Curatorial Projects 2016 “Rebirth of the Figurative Sacred Art” Fortezza Vecchia, Livorno, Italy.

Teaching 2013-2017 Sacred Art School, Teaching of Drawing (including painting workshop). Florence, Italy.

Selected Awards 2017 Pre selected for Figurativas 2017. European Mesuem of Modern Art(MEAN). Barcelona, Spain. 2016 Premio Winner, International painting competition. Livorno, MissArteModaItalia, 9, September. Finalist for the Solo Exhibition. Dacia Gallery, NYC. January, 2016. 2014 The diploma work “Return of the Prodigal Son” (drawing). Purchase Award. Russian Academy of Art in Florence.