Born on the cusp of a defining war in Europe, Pino Dangelico had a childhood of visual memories that were of women left behind to keep the home fires burning. His mother, aunts, grandmothers, and cousins became a universe of attractive Italian women in aprons maintaining domestic tranquility in very uncertain times. Bathed in the Adriatic light of his native Bari, these figures would later infuse the romantic canvases of Pino.

Growing up with the faded glories of Renaissance art and architecture at his doorstep, Pino was in tune with the energies of a new era and, despite his growing reputation for illustrtion in Europe, he wanted to be closer to New York, the dynamic art center of the world. He also wanted to release his art from the restrictions of others and be free to explore new avenues that had been opened by the abstract expressionists of the late 1940's and early 1950's.

A visit to Manhattan in 1971 exposed Pino to the exciting synergy of the United States and the museums of New York opened his eyes to the rich history of figure painting in America. In 1978 he returned with his wife Chiara, seven year old daughter, Paola, and five year old son, Massimo. Pino soon became one of the highest paid American illustrators with over 3,000 book covers, movie posters, and magazine illustrations to his credit.

Eager to leave illustration behind and to begin stretching the envelope of fine arts with his figural concepts and brushwork, Pino began showing his canvases to galleries in 1994.

His signature work is feminine, ephemeral forms of flesh whose light and shadow suggest depth and mystery. They are contrasted with passages of rich, textured color in compositions that are as much about how the the artists feels as what he sees. It is this subjective illusion of space juxtaposed with an abstract acceptance of the painting's flat surface that sets Pino's work apart from other artists. It is his introduction of non-objective and seemingly contradictory elements into old and proven formulas with which he intends to give his viewers fresh and exciting new experiences.