Born: 1942, Campi Bisenzio, Tuscany, Italy

Currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada and Florence, Italy

Marco Sassone was born in Campi Bisenzio, a Tuscan village, in 1942. The family moved to Florence in 1954, and there he met painters Ottone Rosai and Ugo Maturo, who encouraged him to follow his interest in art. He enrolled at the Istituto Galileo Galilei, where he studied architectural drafting for several years. During this period he supported himself by selling watercolor sketches of Florence to tourists, many of whom were Americans, which increased his fluency in English. 

Later, he studied with painter Silvio Loffredo, professor of art at the Accademia in Florence, a pupil himself of the Austrian master Oskar Kokoschka. Loffredo encouraged him to develop his own style and vision. For inspiration, Sassone studied the works of the 19th century Italian impressionists, the Macchiaioli – Giovanni Fattori, Vito D’Ancona and Silvestro Lega. He began exhibiting his first works at this time. At the age of 25, he was selected to exhibit at Lo Sprone Cultural Center in Florence. 


In November 1967, soon after the flood had devastated his city, Sassone traveled to the United States and settled in California. He later moved to Laguna Beach, a small seaside community, Mediterranean in geography and climate, with its own commitment to the arts.

 Sassone is currently working in Toronto and Florence on his intensely envisioned landscapes and cityscapes, known for a heightened sense of color and his powerfully expressive gestural style and has been featured in many solo exhbiitions throughout his career. Sassone’s works are in numerous international public and private collections.