The story of Italian Masters begins in the southern Italian town of Agrigento on the island of Sicily during the early 1900’s.
It was here that a talented young artist with a keen eye for color and a strong desire to learn offered his services as an apprentice to master painters Giuseppe and Vincenzo Guadanga. Under the tutelage of these revered and talented artists, Archilao Gloria Chiarelli learned the secrets of the original Italian masters that had been faithfully passed down from generation to generation from the time of the Renaissance.
Nearly a decade later, having worked in the magnificent basilicas of southern Italy, Archilao emerged as an Italian master in his own right. Armed with precious old-world knowledge of little known mixtures and skilled techniques, a bag of instruments and his precisely formulated recipes, Archilao set off to create a new life in America, the land of freedom and opportunity. In 1957, he and his family arrived in New York City where his style of painting was soon to revolutionize the American decorative market.
As word of his work spread quickly, Archilao was sought after by some of the world’s most renowned designers, including Mario Buatta, Samuel Botero, and Mark Hampton. Job requests came from celebrities, politicians, and business titans alike.
When his sons Michael and Luigi were ten and eleven years old, Archilao introduced them to his recipes and techniques, and from that day forward, in any spare moment outside of school, Michael and Luigi worked side by side with their father whenever possible.
Archilao was indeed a master artisan and a skilled teacher. He treated every job with the same level of dedication, commitment and professionalism regardless of size.
He consistently provided some of the finest decorative finishes available anywhere in the world, applied with the eye of a true artist, yet neither he nor his sons relinquished the secrets of his method.
As environmental awareness grew in the United States, Archilao and Michael decided to create their own line of paints and plasters that would exceed all environmental standards, while still offering the same level of artistic aestheticism that their clients had become accustomed to. In 2005, the father/son team sojourned to Italy with the sole purpose of working with top artisans and scientists in Italy to create an original line of high quality, environmentally friendly, easy to touch up, and durable decorative paints and plasters, The resulting product line has zero VOC and is used exclusively by Italian Masters in the United States today.
Archilao, or ‘Archie’, as he fondly became known, passed away in 2010. However, his legacy continues on through the work of his sons, Michael and Luigi.
“Perhaps one day I will teach my sons these techniques” says Michael Gloria Chiarelli, ” but in the meantime, my goal is to carry on my father’s vision and make his old world artistry accessible to all those who seek the finest decorative finishes in whatever job capacity, be it decorators, builders, architects, community planners or homeowners. I am pleased to say that the knowledge of the Italian Masters is alive and well.”
In 2008, Michael was introduced to Dante O. Benini and Luca Gonzo (Dante O. Benini & Partners) by Anthony Derosa, a mutual friend. Dante Benini began to mentor Michael just as Carlo Scarpa had mentored him and Bruno Sartori, his researcher in the materials’ laboratory.
Carlo Scarpa was very instrumental in keeping the old world formulas in plaster. He also kept these formulas between Dante, Bruno and himself. These plasters are second to none using today’s technology, but keeping the old world craftsmanship alive.
Italian Masters has worked for great names, such as Henry Ford and family, Martin Revson with Revlon, Harley Baldwin with the Caribou Club, William Simon (Secretary of Treasury for the United States) and more. Today Italian Masters works for some of America’s wealthiest clients, including top architects and designers such as Richard Meir, Michael Palladino, Dante O Benini and Partners, Norman Foster, Peter Marino, and Ken Fulk, a young yet already successful American designer.
Today, Italian Masters is a full service decorative paint & plaster company, specializing in artisan plasters.
Our artistic team consists of master certified installers and over 100 trained applicators. The company has offices currently open in San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Diego. New York and Miami are scheduled for fall of 2015. www.italianmasters.com