Michael Saviello

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Michael “Big Mike” Saviello

Text by R Blake Miller

Michael “Big Mike” Saviello (b. 1960) has a lot of stories to tell.

In this release of 44 paintings, a cast of recognizable characters includes the famous subjects of Mike’s peers– Botticelli, Michelangelo, Vermeer, van Gogh, Monet, De gas, and more. He sometimes changes the faces out for other known figures or personal relations, making a body of work that is as much about individuals as the characters they play for one another.

By merging figures from across epochs, Mike makes new meanings from their classic poses and expressions. This method makes archetypes understandable for his viewers, who are the everyday visitors of his gallery–the barbers he knows so well, and their clients who keep the stories coming in. Mike managed the iconic New York institution called Astor Place Hairstylists for over 40 years, using the basement’s broom closet as an art studio.

The works are packed with humor, warmth and signifi cance, each weaving art history with the art of daily life. Colorful storytelling, dynamic and layered compositions, and a keen use of acrylic medium as a sculptural texture form paintings that are playfully straightforward, yet peculiarly unique, in a New York kind of way.

For inquiries, send a DM or email blake@rblakemiller.com.