| Leone Minassian | |
| Native Name: | Լևոն Մինասյան |
| Native Name Lang: | hy |
| Other Names: | Levon Minasyan |
| Birth Name: | Levon Zaki Minasyan |
| Birth Date: | 8 May 1905 |
| Birth Place: | Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Death Date: | 1978 |
| Death Place: | Venice, Veneto, Italy |
| Education: | Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia |
| Mother: | Iskouhi Minas |
Leone Minassian (1905–1978;) was an Ottoman Empire-born Italian painter and printmaker, of Armenian descent.[1] His work is an important representative of European post-war abstract painting.[2] Minassian lived in Venice for more than 40 years.[3]
Leone Minassian was born on May 8, 1905, in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire to Armenian parents.[4] His mother was writer Iskouhi Minas, and his father was Zhan Minasyan, the editor of the French periodical "Patri".[5] [6] He started painting in this youth.[7]
Minassian has been attributed to studying art at Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia,[8] as well as under many notable artists, including Leonardo De Mango;[9] Albert Mille (1882–1946); in Naples under Danish painter ; and in Venice under Italian painter Alessandro Milesi.[10]
Minassian's early art was influenced by futurism, surrealism, and the art of Giorgio De Chirico. He was friends with artists Alberto Viani, Giuseppe Santomaso,[11] Giorgio Morandi, and Jean Arp.[12]
After World War II, Minassian found his own painterly language and his art began to receive international attention. His pictures are characterized by intertwined, plant-like shapes and/or bodies in diverse colors. He took part in the group exhibitions II. documenta in Kassel in 1959,[13] [14] and the Venice Biennale in 1961. His work can be found in the art museum Ca' Pesaro in room 7.