Paintings by Dominic Finocchio
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1950, Dominic Finocchio is an American painter who creates narrative figurative works. The son of Sicilian parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1920s, he spent his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, living with his parents and Italian-speaking
grandparents. Interested in art from an early age, Finocchio began in his teens to study art more intensely with frequent visits to the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Central Library’s art department.
Finocchio, although interested in various genres and styles, became particularly influenced by the figurative works of Michelangelo and French neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. He also discovered the Mannerist style of the late sixteenth-century Italian High Renaissance, a movement which paid attention to lighting, clarity of line, and color. Finocchio was particularly interested in the works of Mannerist portrait painters Jacopo da Pontormo, Agnolo Bronzino, and Rosso Florentino, one of the founders of the Fontainebleau School.
Dominic Finocchio, encouraged by his supportive art instructor Father T. Brug, prepared a portfolio of work and submitted a grant request for attendance at Missouri’s Webster University. He studied at the university for two years before enrolling in the art curriculum at Meramec Community College where he studied drawing under department head David Durham. While attending classes, Finocchio began singing in several bands and also working as a display designer, an occupation
that would support his life as an artist for the next forty-two years.
During most of the 1970s, Finocchio continued his drawing but did not produce any paintings. Eventually, he began to focus solely on painting during his time away from the display work. Although St. Louis at that time was not an art-centered city, it did have several non-profit support organizations, such as Art Saint Louis and the St. Louis Artists’Guild, which provided exhibition opportunities and association with other artists. With such oppurtunities available, Finocchio retired early from his display work and concentrated on painting. Having gained exposure in the art world through the non-profit organizations, he was contacted in 2021 by contemporary gallery owner and lecturer Duane Reed for a studio visit. In late 2022, Dominic Finocchio had his first solo exhibition at St. Louis’s Duane Reed Gallery, recognized for showcasing innovative established and emerging artists.
Dominic Finocchio’s paintings are tableaus, narratives depicting the modern male set in contemporary social situations that explore aspects of masculinity. The initial combinations of figure, fauna and landscape evolve through a lengthy process of editing before the composition is finalized. Finocchio’s figurative compositions, like many of the early mannerist works, show attention to 
color and lighting as well as off-center placement of figures. Although aware of each other’s presence, Finocchio’s protagonists present an ambiguous story line that is left for the viewer’s exploration and interpretation.
Finocchio has presented his work in curated, invitational, and juried exhibitions for over thirty years. In 2014, his work was included in edition #17 of the quarterly publication “The Art of Man”, a journal featuring articles on artists whose portfolios contain male figurative works in the classical tradition. Finocchio’s solo exhibitions include the 2017 “Lies Provide” at the Mildred Cox Gallery in Fulton, Missouri; the 2018 “Imaginaria” at the Schmidt Art Center at Southwestern Illinois College; and the 2022 “Desire and Indifference” at the Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dominic Finocchio’s work has been exhibited regularly at the annual Art St. Louis Exhibition and frequently at such venues as the Springfield Art Museum in Missouri; The Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri; The Jones Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri; the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, Illinois; and the Evansville Museum in Indiana, among others. 
Finocchio’s paintings are housed in many private collections as well as public institutions, among which are the Evansville Museum of Arts and Science in Indiana, the St. Louis Marriott Renaissance Hotel, Koetting Associates in St. Louis, and the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Corporation in Evansville.
For his work, Finocchio has won the 2021 Mary Jane Twomey Award for Best of Show at the Buchanan Center for the Arts, the 2020 Caroline Karges Merit Award from the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, the 2006 Phil Desind Award from the Butler Institute of American Art, and both the Elise Strouse Merit Award and Mary McNamee Bower Purchase Award from the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences in 2002-2003.
Dominic Finocchio’s paintings will be on exhibit April 25-28 at the 2024 San Francisco Art Market/Art Fair in the Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, Building C, Suite 260, Booth A17
Notes: Dominic Finocchio’s website is located at: https://www.dominicfinocchio.com
Finochio is represented by the Duane Reed Gallery of Saint Louis, Missouri. Inquiries regarding his work and current exhibitions can be directed to: https://www.duanereedgallery.com or info@duanereedgallery.com
Top Insert Image: Dominic Finocchio, “Companionship”, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 61 x 45.7 cm, Courtesy of Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri
Second Insert Image: Dominic Finocchio, “Eight Eyes”, Oil on Canvas, 76.2 x 101.6 cm, Courtesy of Artist
Third Insert Image: Dominic Finocchio, “Worldly”, 2023. 76.2 x 101.6 cm, Courtesy of Artist
Bottom Insert Image: Dominic Finocchio, “Sit, Stand, Walk, Fly”, 2023, Watercolor and Gouache on Paper, 45.5 x 48.3 cm, Courtesy of Artist