Naples Faces and Places

Janine Wesselmann is known globally for her parodies of European and American social life, and has been listed in Whos Who in the World and Whos Who of American Women since 1983.Born in New York, and growing up in the State Department milieu, she was painting at age six and spent her formative years in locales as exotic and diverse as Morocco, Iran, Kenya, France, Spain, Ecuador, and Haiti. The color and drama of camel caravans, fortune tellers, whirling dervishes, gypsy dancers, remote tribal villages, as well as the cafes and soirees in Paris were her inspiration. The contrast of moving among different social spheres and political arenas imbues her paintings with a unique insight, empathy, and humor.She completed her formal education in the United States and received her degree from Cornell University. After serving in the Peace Corps, she continued a life of whirlwind travels and painting throughout France, Spain, Italy, England, Switzerland, and the Caribbean.Janine was awarded the accolade of Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in 1992 and was the first American woman to be accepted into the Collection dArt Modern de la Ville de Paris and the Centro Culturale dItalia, Rome.The artist set up a studio in Naples, Florida in 2008. In 2009 the von Liebig Art Center acquired her painting, Sarasota Circus for their prestigious permanent collection.