Joseph Pisani

Joseph Pisani
Portrait of Artist Joseph Pisani
Born(1971-11-27)November 27, 1971
Bronx, New York, U.S.
OccupationsPainter, photographer, writer
Known forAbstract painting, photography
Websitejosephpisani.com

Joseph Pisani (born 1971) is an American and Swiss contemporary artist,[1] abstract painter,[1] and photographer,[1] known for large-format abstract paintings that he terms "Existential Landscapes".[2]

Life

Pisani was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, the eldest son of Italian-American parents. His maternal grandmother, born in Italy, taught him to draw and paint beginning at a young age.[3][4] Around 1975, the family moved to Westchester County, and later to Rockland County, New York when he was in third grade.[5] During his youth he was fascinated by the colors of Van Gogh and the surrealist works of Salvador Dalí.[3] After high school he studied business instead of art at a university in New York at his father's urging,[3] while also founding and fronting the rock band The Acoustic Denial, performing as a singer-songwriter.[3][6]

He left New York in 1995 and traveled throughout the United States, visiting more than forty states with his guitar, funding his travels by selling self-designed T-shirts during the Grateful Dead tour and at musical festivals, including a jazz and blues festival in New Orleans.[7][5] Outside Las Vegas, he survived a car crash in the Nevada desert, an incident he has cited as a formative realization of life's fragility.[5] He then set off on a solo backpacking tour of Western Europe, staying in Prague for a time. In 1996 he settled in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, Colorado, where he began to design and produce furniture and experiment with wood sculpture and mixed media.[3][6]

In 1998 he traveled to Europe and the Middle East and discovered scuba diving in South Sinai, Egypt, where he worked as a divemaster.[6][3] It was there that he met his future wife, a Swiss woman.[6][3] The influence of the colorful underwater life of the Red Sea is apparent in paintings such as The Secrets of the Underwater World, Deep (Approximately 63 Meters Below the Red Sea), and The View from My Bungalow.[8][5] In a 2006 interview with the Schaffhauser Nachrichten, Pisani also detailed how his travels inspired specific works, including a piece depicting the colored lakes of Flores.[8] A 2013 profile in Vernissage magazine noted that he travels equipped with only a backpack, his guitar, a camera, and a journal, highlighting specific formative journeys that inspired his work, including a bicycle trip from China to Laos and experiences at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.[9] Pisani draws thematic inspiration for his work from Friedrich Nietzsche's statement, "One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star," using his extensive travel journals compiled across dozens of countries as source material for his paintings.[7]

In 1999, after leaving Egypt and a six-month period traveling through Southeast Asia, Pisani relocated to Zurich, Switzerland, where he has been based since.[1] He initially worked in commercial design before transitioning to his fine art career full-time.[6][10][11][8] His work was the subject of a solo exhibition at the United Nations Office at Geneva in 2008,[12] and has also been on permanent display at the United States Consulate in Zurich since 2006.[13] Pisani appeared as a guest on the Swiss television talk show Aeschbacher in 2008.[2] On the program he noted that he had kept a promise not to return to the United States for as long as George W. Bush was president due to his opposition to the Iraq War.[2][3][14] Pisani continues to travel extensively, having visited seventy-three countries as of 2026.[15]

Beyond his visual art, Pisani has documented his global travels as a writer and photographer. Between 2007 and 2008, he authored a series of travelogues for Inside Switzerland magazine, chronicling spontaneous journeys through Sri Lanka and Eastern Europe, including the unrecognized breakaway state of Trans-Dniester.[16][17] In these articles, he detailed his methodology of making unplanned travel decisions at bus and train stations, stating: "Spontaneity keeps things fresh, while serendipity guides me through it all. There have been a lot of rough moments along the way, but they often bear the best memories."[17] In March 2011 he delivered a lecture titled "Every Great Journey Begins with a Dream" at the American Resource Center of the National Library of Finland in Helsinki, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy.[18][19] He has said: "Traveling sets me free and I find myself most alive when the culture shock I feel is strongest... Painting is the way I capture, savor and express these feelings."[18] Pisani is currently writing a memoir, How to Do Everything in Just One Lifetime, documenting more than thirty years of travel and artistic practice.[5]

Art

Pisani's work is influenced by the Abstract Expressionism of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. However, unlike Rothko, who purposely avoided giving titles to his work, because he did not want to influence viewers, Pisani deliberately lends clues through the poetic titles of his paintings:

I attempt to lead my viewers in the right direction about where I was, and what I was thinking or feeling at the time of creating a particular painting. Then, after giving this initial clue, it is my specific purpose to leave the viewers on their own to question how the title relates to the art itself and to decide how the artwork makes them feel in the context of my clues.

Pisani refers to his paintings as "Existential Landscapes",[20] works in which, in his description, the depicted scene serves only as a starting point, with the actual subject being the anticipation, physical difficulty, and emotional aftermath of the journey that produced it. He works on canvas, paper, and reclaimed wood, using acrylic, pencil, and oil pastel, and has described building up and then partially removing layers of paint, through scraping, sanding, and reapplication, as a way of suggesting preserving ephemeral moments that would otherwise be lost.[20] Alongside his paintings, Pisani has documented his journey through photography since 1995,[21] referring to his camera as his "Second Sketchbook." He has described these photographs as a parallel visual record from which some of his paintings are later developed.

Philanthropy

Pisani's work has been auctioned for charitable causes on multiple occasions. In 2007, two paintings were sold at the Swiss American Golf Championship charity auction to benefit the SOS Children's Village in Rio Hondo, Peru; the event was auctioned by Caroline Lang of Sotheby's Geneva.[22][23] In 2008, three paintings were sold at the Swiss American Golf Championship charity auction to benefit the SOS Children's Village in Iloilo, Philippines; former Olympic bobsledding gold medalist Hans "Hausi" Leutenegger purchased the work on paper titled When I grow up, I want to be Superman for 2,000 Swiss francs.[24]

In 2009, Pisani created two paintings for the same tournament's auction, with proceeds going to the SOS Children's Village in Itahari, Nepal.[25] In 2017, he created the "art braille kanthari" charity exhibition and auction in association with the kanthari Foundation Switzerland in Zurich. The auction was conducted by Stefan Puttaert, Director of Sotheby's Zurich; the exhibition was based on a three-month documentation trip through Southern India, the 71st country Pisani visited, and included photographs, abstract paintings, video clips, and braille prose documenting seven social projects founded by kanthari alumni.[26][27][28] In 2026, he contributed to the "Art for Sight" charity exhibition and auction in Lucerne, organized in association with Rotary Club Zurich Circle International and Rotary Club Kasr El Nile (Cairo).[29]

Selected Exhibitions

(* denotes solo exhibition)

  • April 2026, ART1a Gallery, Lucerne, "Art for Sight", charity auction organized by Rotary Club Zurich Circle International in partnership with Rotary Club Kasr El Nile, Cairo, benefiting the "Children's Right to Sight" initiative; Pisani donated the painting Tips & Tricks for Successful Taxi Rides in Cairo.[29]
  • 2017 November 7–18, Kulturpark, Zurich, Switzerland, "art braille kanthari", charity auction and exhibition with Stefan Puttaert, Director of Sotheby's Zurich, and Christine Meier.[30]
  • 2017 January–18 March, Galerie Le Sud, Zurich, Switzerland, "The Smoke that Thunders", under the patronage of the Permanent Mission of Zambia to the United Nations (UNO), Geneva.*
  • 2014 January, Kunstgalerie Bachlechner, Bergdietikon, Switzerland, "How to do Everything in Just One Lifetime", under the patronage of the US Consulate in Zurich*
  • 2013 October, Galleria Fogga, Helsinki, Finland, "Oneironauts (Explorers of the Dream World)"*
  • 2011, Kunstgalerie Bachlechner, Bergdietikon, Switzerland, "Chaos Within - 40 Years Pisani", under the patronage of the US Consulate in Zurich*
  • 2011, Gallery Ferin, Helsinki, Finland, "When The Morning Star Begins to Fade"
  • 28 November 2009–16 January 2010, Gallery Eule-Art, Davos, Switzerland, "Fire & Ice"
  • 15 April 2009, Artseefeld, Zurich, Switzerland, "AGENT 488"*
  • 4 February 2008, United Nations Office, Geneva, "Oh Sweet Serendipity", special showing in association with Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Anniversary*[31]
  • 19 January 2008–23 February 2008, Kunstgalerie Bachlechner, Weiningen, Switzerland, "Oh Sweet Serendipity", under the patronage of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva*
  • 29 September 2007–23 December 2007, Kunstgalerie Bachlechner, Ost Tirol, Austria, "Kunst Verbindet" — together with work by Le Corbusier, Hans Peter Profunser, Marianne Liegl...
  • 27 January 2007–25 February 2007, Kunstgalerie Bachlechner, Weiningen, Switzerland, "Magic Cube" — together with Jan Janczak, Paul Cartier, Paul Racle...
  • 26 October 2006–Present (Permanent Exhibit), Consulate of the USA in Zurich, Switzerland, "All the Colors of My Memories from Home"*
  • 18 November 2006–23 December 2006, Kunstgalerie Bachlechner, Weiningen, Switzerland, "Train Station" — together with Charles Sambono (Zambia), Gerry Mayer (Austria)
  • 2006 September–November, Zurich, Switzerland, "That Lasting Tingle of Déjà Vu", under the patronage of the Consulate of the USA in Zurich*

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Joseph Pisani". SIKART Lexicon / Swiss Institute for Art Research. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Joseph Pisani". Aeschbacher (in German). SRF. 10 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Isenring, Natalie (24 January 2008). "Ein Nomade mit ständigem Sitz in Zürich" (PDF). Tages-Anzeiger (in German). p. 58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Joseph Pisani (22 March 2008). "Der gebürtige New Yorker Künstler Joseph Pisani" (MP3). Radio Osttirol (Interview) (in German). Interviewed by Werner Gatterer. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pisani Biography". Joseph Pisani. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Cerutti, Silvano (26 May 2005). "Malender Weltreiser" (PDF). 20 Minuten Week (in German). p. 2. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  7. 1 2 Mordasini, Marco (30 August 2011). "Ausdrucksstark mit Liebe zum Detail: 'Chaos Within' Eröffnung" (PDF). Limmattaler Zeitung (in German). p. 16. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  8. 1 2 3 Huotelin, Vera (8 May 2006). "Wenn die Sonne zum Teppich wird" (PDF). Schaffhauser Nachrichten (in German). p. 16. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  9. ↑ "How to Do Everything in Just One Lifetime" (PDF). Vernissage Magazine (in German). No. 202. November 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  10. ↑ Schweizer, Sabine (Spring 2007). "Individuals: The Conceptual Artist" (PDF). Inside Switzerland. No. 1. p. 21. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  11. ↑ "Abstrakte Malerei" (PDF). Schweizer Touristik (in German). 7 April 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  12. ↑ "Special Showing in Association with Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Anniversary". Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "About the Artist". Joseph Pisani. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Programmvorschau: Donnerstag 10. April 2008" (PDF) (in German). Schweizer Fernsehen. 10 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  15. ↑ "World Ledger". Joseph Pisani. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Pisani, Joseph (2008). "Oh Sweet Serendipity: An Improvised Journey Across Sri Lanka" (PDF). Inside Switzerland. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  17. 1 2 Pisani, Joseph (Summer 2008). "Iron Curtain Roulette: Spinning the Wheel of Chance in Eastern Europe" (PDF). Inside Switzerland. No. 6. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  18. 1 2 "Every Great Journey Begins with a Dream". U.S. Embassy in Finland. 31 March 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Every Great Journey Begins With a Dream" (PDF). U.S. Embassy in Finland. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  20. 1 2 "About Artist Pisani". Joseph Pisani Official Website. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  21. ↑ "Field Photography". Joseph Pisani Official Website. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  22. ↑ "Joseph Pisani". Galerie Le Sud. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Tee Off! 2007 (PDF) (Event catalog). Swiss American Golf Championship. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  24. ↑ Schäfer, Piero (November 2008). "Intercontinental Flight" (PDF). Golf & Country Magazine. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  25. ↑ Tee Off! 2009: Swiss American Golf Championship (PDF) (Event catalog). American Club of Zurich. 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  26. ↑ "Impressum" (in German). kanthari. Retrieved 3 August 2026. Fotografien: © kanthari / josephpisani.com
  27. ↑ art braille kanthari: Charity Auction Catalog (PDF). kanthari Foundation Switzerland in cooperation with Joseph Pisani. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  28. ↑ art braille kanthari: Einladung (PDF) (Exhibition invitation booklet) (in German). kanthari Foundation Switzerland / Joseph Pisani. 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via josephpisani.com.
  29. 1 2 "Art for Sight – Exhibition and Auction for Children's Eye Charity". ART1a Gallery. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Three Months in India: Art Braille Kanthari". Official website. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "Special Showing in Association with Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Anniversary". Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
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