Aldo Luongo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1941,
of Italian heritage. Since as far back as he can remember, Luongo had
two great passions: art and soccer. Shortly after his graduation from
the Academy of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires in the early 1960s, Luongo
came to the U.S. to play professional soccer for the New York Cosmos.
After his athletic career was cut short due to an injury, he arrived
in New York City with a dream to pursue his artwork full time.
In the early 70’s, he had his first major success with multiple
reproductions of his black & white drawings. Not only were these
prints released to great critical acclaim, they were a huge commercial
success as well (hundreds of thousands of pieces sold within several
years). Aldo had put himself on the map as a major international artist.
Aldo Luongo has continued his reign at the top of the contemporary art
world for almost four decades – a distinction that puts him in
a class of his own. He has received numerous awards and honors, including
being named a 3-time official Olympic Artist (Summer 1988, Summer 1996,
and Winter 2002); an official World Cup Artist (1998); an official U.S.
Women’s World Cup Artist (1999); and the 1999 Sports Artist of
the Year (U.S. Sports Museum.)
From his acrylics to his fine art prints, all of Aldo Luongo’s
pieces embody the same sense of fluidity and intensity, the result of
a true artist engaged in the passionate process of creation. His bold,
impressionistic style has often been referred to as “Romance on
Canvas”. Central to all of Luongo's paintings is the balance between
memory and hope, sorrow and humor, freedom and control. These dynamics
are clearly apparent in his figurative works, especially those portraying
"The
Hawk", an archetypal character based on the memory of
his father and the discovery of his future self. Aldo Luongo's artwork
captures more than just the viewers gaze… it echoes the experiences
of life lived to the fullest.