Galerie Michael opens its fall season with an Exhibition by Artist Alumni from the Florence Academy of Art

With a private evening reception on Thursday, September 15, Galerie Michael opened its doors for the inaugural exhibition of recent paintings and sculpture by artist alumni from the Florence Academy of Art (FAA) in Italy. The exhibition showcases twenty-two artists in the academy’s west coast debut whose works are reminiscent of the European masters of the Renaissance. Technically exquisite and thematically exploring mythological storytelling and a play on life, death, narcissism and the supernatural the exhibition highlights traditional craftsmanship, observation from nature and studio expertise that these artists continue.

In his opening speech gallery owner Michael Schwarz expressed his lasting commitment in presenting the works of the artists of the Florence Academy and respectfully spoke of the integrity, stimulating artistic discourse and dedication that these young artists have offered since his first visit to the academy in Florence. Equally proud of the collaboration and launching of the exhibition program was FAA founder Daniel Graves and executive director Susan Tintori who shared insights of the academy’s history and mission.

Invited guests flocked to the gallery opening delighted to meet several of the artists in person and to view the expansive new art display firsthand. During the evening clients and artists mingled in the upstairs galleries filled with impressive figurative paintings, still lifes and life size bronze sculptures. Off to an exciting new art season the exhibition continues on view through October 15, 2011.

A fifty page full color catalog is available.

Galerie Michael
224 N. Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Mon – Sat: 10:00am to 7:00pm
Sun: 12:00pm to 6:00pm

Angel Ramiro Sanchez (b.1974)

Poppy, 20"x53". oil on canvas

Angel Ramiro Sanchez was born in 1974 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. At age six Ramiro was accepted with full scholarship into the Instituto Niños Cantores del Zulia, a school for musically gifted children. At age fourteen he began five years of apprenticeship with the realist painter, Abdon Jose Romero, an eminent specialist in murals for churches and public buildings. In 1993 a study grant from Msgr. Gustavo Ocando Yamarte, Founder of the Ninos Cantores, enable him to travel to Florence, Italy, Where he successfully passed the admission examination for the renowned Accademia di Belle Arti. For the next four years, he studied full time at the Accademia, receiving his diploma magna cum laude. Ramiro also attended drawing and painting sessions at the Florence Academy of Art, directed by painter Daniel Graves. Ramiro was appointed Senior Painting Instructor at the FAA in 1997. Today he is the Academy Painting Program Director and he shares his life and passion for art with his wife, the artist Melissa Franklin Sanchez.

Ramiro’s paintings came to the attention of Italian private collectors for the first time in 1996 at a juried exhibition in Montopoli, near Florence. In 2003 his paintings and drawings were subject of a monograph “Ramiro” by international art critic John T. Spike. In 2005 he received the special Director’s Award at the Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art. He was then invited to show his work as a guest artist at the Austria Biennale in 2006. Ramiro won the prestigious Stobart Foundation Award in 2008, which is awarded to artists who use live models in their works. Paintings, drawings and portraits by Ramiro are found in public and private collections in Europe, the United States and Venezuela.

Per Johnny Kristiansen (b. 1965)

Is There a Place for Me?, 39"x31", oil on canvas


Per Johnny Kristiansen was born in Norway in 1965. He took part time classes in drawing and painting in his hometown and was enrolled in the T. Ramberg studio in Steinkjer, Norway, from 1999 - 2001. Per Johnny began his studies at The Florence Academy of Art in January 2002. He completed his three-year painting certificate and fourth year of specialization in painting in December 2005. He participated in a juried exhibition in Tromsø, Norway in November 2005, in the Second Annual Alumni Exhibit in Florence in 2006 and in a group exhibit at the W.H. Patterson Gallery in London in 2006. He lives and works in his hometown of Tromsø in Northern Norway, a town that is called the gateway to the arctic in the land of the midnight sun.

“Living in the north, and being a passionate outdoor person, where there are enormous contrasts in nature and light and dark, my passion was born. The last years I have been working with portraits and figure paintings, and I am very grateful to Daniel Graves and The Florence Academy of Art for making it possible for me to do so. In figure paintings I want to describe people of today in a classical realistic way - Contemporary Realism. And what is important to me is the sense of light, atmosphere, emotions and integrity.”

Jura Bedic (b.1980)

Moire II, 31"x37", oil on canvas

Jura Bedic was born in Croatia in 1980. He completed his studies at The Florence Academy of Art in 2002, and became a principle instructor first in the Intensive Drawing Program, then in the Painting Program. He has participated in group exhibitions in numerous galleries in the United States, as well as alumni exhibitions organized by the Academy in Germany and Florence, including “Realism Revisited” at the Panorama Museum, Bad Frankenhausen.

Jura is a winner of the 2001 Art Renewal Center International Scholarship Competition, and his work is featured in an article in American Artist’s “Drawing” Magazine in 2003, ”Classical Approaches to the Teaching of Drawing.” In 2007 he won "The best in Show" award in the F.A.A.'s 3rd Annual Alumni Exhibition. He continues to paint and teach in Florence, Italy.

"The success of a realistic painting does not depend merely on copying a subject. I believe it needs to offer the textures, colors, and tones to one's eye and become something more than just an illusion. Through an evolutionary process, painting again becomes a part of nature itself."

Alicia Nicole Ponzio, ( b.1974)

The Letting Go, Bronze, 61"x32"x17"

Alicia Nicole Ponzio (b.1974) is a figurative sculptress working primarily in bronze. Originally from the United States, she is currently living and working in Florence, Italy.
Since her graduation from the Florence Academy of Art Sculpture Program in 2008, Alicia has been working in her studio and teaching Artistic Anatomy, Ecorchè Sculpture, and figure drawing at the same school. In 2009, she was awarded “Best in Show” at the Fourth Alumni Exhibition of the FAA and exhibited in a group show at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London where she was a finalist for the Founders’ Prize. In 2010, she was awarded a “Certificate of Excellence” by the Portrait Society of America and taught a course in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her work can be found in private collections in Europe, the United States, and Canada.
Alicia feels fortunate to be following her dreams and living them daily. Her goal is to bring to her work movement of forms, empathy toward other human beings and sincerity of expression.
In July of 2012, Alicia plans to open a studio in San Francisco, California, where she’ll continue to develop her work and teach private lessons in sculpture.

Vitaliy Shtanko (b. 1979)

Le Variazioni, oil on canvas, 50"x60"

Vitaliy Shtanko was born on December 25, 1979, in Drogobych Ukraine in a family of artists. He had a passion for an art from a very young age as watched his father spend hours working at the easel and looked through many mysterious and fascinating art books from his family’s home library.

At age of 10, Vitaliy enrolled into The Art College for Children. For the next four years, he studied various art techniques and methods experimenting with different media such as watercolor, gouache, oil, ink and clay. Learning to draw and paint from life was the goal of the college.

In 1997 Vitaliy enrolled at the L’viv National Academy of Arts in Ukraine where he practiced classical academic approaches to drawing and painting. In 2000 Vitaliy moved to Florence with his family to attend the school of book illustration and where he eventually met Daniel Graves. The high standards of discipline and love for traditional realism of the Florence Academy of Art attracted Vitaliy to the school. Meeting the European school style was both challenging and exciting.

Jordan Sokol, (b. 1979)

The Studio, oil on canvas, 16"x20", 2011

Jordan Sokol was born in 1979 in Queens, New York. He began his artistic training at age fourteen when he was accepted into the Palm Beach County High School for the Arts. After graduating he enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute and in 2003 began classical training at the Florence Academy of Art, where he is currently a principal painting instructor.

Jordan’s drawings and paintings have been exhibited internationally and are in private collections throughout Europe and the U.S. In the January 2011 issue of American Artist Magazine he is named as one of eleven artists to watch in 2011.

“His interiors and still lifes are bathed in unified light that, when combined with the detailed and personal subject matter, gives them a deeply lived-in feeling. His portraits are also quiet, unified works, often tinged with a touch of melancholy. Sokol’s paintings are the work of an artist comfortable with his craft who is trying to reveal a little of the beauty and mystery of the world around him.”

-Austin R. Williams, an associate editor of American Artist.

Toby Wright, (b.1976)

Dogma, 40"x30", Oil on Canvas


Toby Wright was born 1976. He began his art studies at university in England with four years studying illustration, earning a B.A. (Hons) degree in 1988. Unfulfilled with much of the instruction he received, he enrolled at the Florence Academy of Art in 1999. While studying, he was invited to assist teaching and later became the director of the drawing program for the sculpture department before moving on to being a principal instructor in the advanced painting program.

Since 2010, Toby has set up his own studio in the South of France, where he works on various projects and commissions. Some of Toby’s figurative work explores a psychological narrative, occasionally with elements of symbolism, inviting the viewer to explore a scenario that they may identify with, or to which they may simply be an onlooker. He strives to unite the visual experience with the living experience of interacting with the subject, to create a dialogue between artist, subject and viewer.

Inspired by various old masters of painting and sculpture from the 17th and 19th Century, Toby Wright believes in the method of working form life to capture the full depth of his subjects, with particular interest in the language of the human form through figurative compositions, such as the portrait or full figure. Always working from a model in the studio, orchestrating light for a still life, and spending many hours outdoors for his landscapes to give the full visual story.

Eran Weber (b.1980)

Disturbed Pan, Bronze, 31"x21"x17"

Eran Webber is a figurative artist born in Israel in 1980. The grandchild of a realist painter, Eran grew up in an artistic environment on a Kibbutz along the Carmel Coast. His artistic training began in high school as well as evening courses in Tel Aviv. In 2007, after several years of military service and traveling abroad, Eran moved to Italy to study the fundamentals of classical figurative art and began sculpting at the prestigious Accademia di Belle Arte. Later that year Eran was accepted to the Florence Academy of Art, where he could focus his interests more intensely on figurative sculpture.

At the end of his second year of study at the FAA, Eran was invited to join the teaching staff, and since his graduation, in 2011, has remained as a principal sculpting instructor. Eran’s work is indelibly linked with his upbringing. He finds sculpting a sincere way to reconcile the nostalgic fragments of the past with his continuing search as an artist

“The deeper I become involved in art, the stronger my addiction to it, and the urge to create becomes an endless need. The ideas and abilities intensify, releasing a growing hunger for the next formation. When a person stands in front of me, I choose to see him through my filters and my interpretation, making the result uniquely my own. Sometimes I strive to dig into deeper layers, seeking to find out how the surface really looks. I appreciate the opportunity to share my work.”

Per Olvav Olsen (b.1980)

Still life with garlic, oil on canvas, 12"x16"

Born 1980, in Trondheim, Norway, Per Olav spent 4 years studying drawing and painting at The Florence Academy of Art, where he earned a certificate in Painting in 2005. Afterwards, he returned to his hometown of Verdal in Norway, where he now works in his own studio. In addition to concentrating on his own projects, he also devotes some of his time and studio space to teaching drawing and painting. He participated in the exhibition "Realism Revisited" at the Panorama Museum in Germany in 2003, "Scandinavian Realism" in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2008, and the Annual Alumni Exhibition at the Florence Academy of Art in 2006, 2007, 2009 & 2010.

Maureen Hyde

Autumn, oil on canvas, 49"x27"


Maureen Hyde received an MFA in painting from the University of California at Los Angeles. She worked from 1984 to 1994, illustrating books for young adults, historical novels and classics, and also numerous picture books for children. In 1996, she began a course of study at The Florence Academy of Art, and received a Diploma in Painting in 1999.

Maureen began her teaching career at the University of California, and resumed as one of the principle instructors at the FAA in the Intensive Drawing Program. She also teaches summer workshops in portraiture and landscaping with The Florence Academy of Art and the Notre Dame School of Architecture. She has participated in numerous alumni exhibitions, and is being represented with many galleries throughout the United States and in London. Her work is also found in private collections throughout Europe and America.

“In living and working in Florence, Italy, my creative spirit feels at home. The light and natural beauty of the Italian landscape and architecture is providing limitless inspiration. I am engaged in an endless dance, chasing and choreographing light as it illuminates the natural world with glimpses of beauty.”

Justin Hess (b. 1981)

A Second Glance, oil on canvas, 35"x39"

Justin Hess was born in Ventura California in 1981. At the age of 19 he began his formal art training at Ventura College and later at the San Francisco Academy of Art University. In further pursuit of his studies, he was introduced to the Florence Academy of Art by a colleague, and left the SFAAU to move to Italy.

Justin entered the Florence Academy of Art in the fall of 2005 and was awarded “Best Drawing of the Year” at the end of his first year. He participated in Alumni exhibitions while still a student, and upon receiving his Certificate of Completion in 2008 was awarded “Most Improved in Figure Painting” during the graduation ceremony.

Justin has taught painting classes and lectured on Pigment and Canvas preparation, at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, and Atelier Østrup in Norway. His paintings have been published in “The Artist’s Magazine” and “International Artist Magazine”, where the latter will have a featured article & painting demonstration in print this coming year. In January of 2011, Justin was juried into the Oil Painters of America as an Associate Member, followed by his painting being accepted into the OPA 20th National Juried Competition as one of the 158 participants out of 2,100 applicants.

At the age of 30, Justin has already exhibited in Italy, London, Monaco, Norway and the United States. Now, after having completed an intensive 6 years of study and work in Florence Italy, Justin will be returning to San Francisco in the summer of 2011 and opening a small Atelier offering workshops and private instruction in the classical realist tradition. Justin’s paintings can be found in private collections in Australia, Europe, Scandinavia and the United States of America.

Cornelia Maria Hernes (b. 1979)

Tooth Fairy, oil on canvas, 17"x13"

Cornelia was born in Norway in 1979. She graduated from The Florence Academy of Art, in 2007, and from University of Victoria, British Colombia in Canada in 2003, where she achieved a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. In University she became acquainted with the paradigms of conceptual art, and became even more determined to pursue classical realism.

She began to paint with oil in her late teens. She is particularly interested in depicting human emotion and expression as a way to convey a mood, story or insight. Her interests have expanded over time to include the serenity of still lives and the intimacy of interiors. She currently lives and works in Florence, and teaches drawing and painting at The Florence Academy of Art as a principal instructor.

Louise Camille Fenne (b. 1972)

Portrait of Lena, 25"x17", oil on canvas

Louise Camille Fenne was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1972. Louise studied drawing in Aix-en Provence, France and at The Glyptothek, Copenhagen, before enrolling at The Florence Academy of Art in 1995, being intrigued by the possibility of studying traditional painting and drawing techniques. There she studied cast and figure drawing until moving to Amsterdam in 1997 and later Lucca, Italy, with the American painter Charles Weed, from whom she learnt the basic painting techniques necessary for exploring this medium further on her own.

Since 1990 she has shared a studio with Weed in Svendborg, Denmark, where they live with their two children. Louise has participated in numerous group exhibitions both in Europe and in the United States.

“I paint mainly portraits, still lifes and interiors. My inclination to paint is driven primarily by the desire to make a visual statement rather than an intellectual one. Therefore my subjects tend only to be the means to a greater aesthetic end. The paintings are observations made over time, in layers, that I hope finally result in a harmony, giving the painting its own life and allowing it to speak for itself.”

Joakim Ericsson (b. 1972)

October Full Moon, Oil on Canvas, 29x37 inches.



Joakim Ericsson was born in Sundsvall Sweden in 1972. He began his formal study of art in 1993 at the Stockholm Art School. Disappointed by the school’s lack of emphasis on traditional technique, he left after one year to pursue independent study. Over the next four years, he was often frustrated by his artistic isolation, yet sometimes heartened by the success of the very few contemporary artists who shared in his classical ideas.

In 1998, Joakim was thrilled to discover The Florence Academy of Art. After studying there for three years, he returned to Sweden to paint and in2002 began spending summers in Norway under the tutelage of Odd Nerdrum, who had been an inspiration to the artist as a young man. After two years of work in Sweden, Joakim returned to Florence to teach at the Florence Academy of Art, and was co-Director of the Painting Program until 2006. In January 2007 he started up FAA's first branch school in Gothenburg, Sweden. He works and teaches there today.

Click here to see more of Ericsson's work: http://galeriemichael.com/artists/ericsson-joakim/

Robert Bodem (b.1971)

Let the Words be Yours, I am Done with Mine,2009, Bronze Sculpture

Robert Christian Bodem (b.1971, Minneapolis, Minnesota) graduated cum laude in Sculpture from Boston University in 1995 where he also received a Master of Arts in 1998. In that same year, Robert was a recipient of the prestigious Albert S. and Ester B. Kahn Award for his talent in figurative sculpture. During his undergraduate studies, he worked as an assistant to the sculptor Dimitri Hadzi. He later spent a year as a sculpture student at The Florence Academy of Art (1995-1996), to return in 1998 as the Academy's principal Sculpture instructor. He became Director of the Sculpture program in 2003.

His exhibitions include group and juried shows throughout Massachusetts and New York. Robert was selected to take part in the 2002 National Sculpture Society Annual Awards Exhibition in 2002. Group exhibitions include: “Realism Revisited”, Panorama Museum, Germany, 2003, "Realism Revisited", Hirschl and Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, and The Florence Academy of Art First Annual Alumni Exhibition, Florence, Italy, 2005.

“Nature is a great teacher, and working from direct observation allows me to unlock some of her mysteries. The forms that I am able to bring to the surface should clarify my interpretation of human relationships. To copy nature is an impossibility, but to seek an understanding of particular human emotions, to attempt to clarify emotional content through silent sculptural form, is within the artist's reach. I feel it is necessary to study life. Drawing on the inspiration I receive from the subject is an attempt to make poetry of the form, and ultimately, present the viewer with those essential forms that expand our knowledge of how we interrelate to one another.”

View Bodem's Art: www.galeriemichael.com/artists/bodem-robert/

Michael Visits the Florence Academy

This past February Owner and President of Galerie Michael, Michael Schwartz, visited the Florence Academy of Art, Florence Italy, to hand select artists to exhibit at Galerie Michael's Florence Academy Alumni Exhibition in September. Not only did Michael visit the studios of artists such as Daniel Graves, Founder of the Academy (Philosophy of Art), Professor and Alum's Robert Bodem and Hunter Eddy, and students Louis Fenne, Cornelia Hernes, and Vitaliy Shtanko but he also selected and commissioned some of the works for the gallery's upcoming show. (right: Alicia Ponzio, Below: Robert Bodem's sculpture studio)




The Florence Academy was founded in 1991 and specializes in highly skilled Realistic painting, drawing, and sculpting in the traditions of the Old Masters. The students of the academy go through a rigorous 4 year training followed by an apprenticeship.


During the first year of study the students focus on academic drawing and rarely pick up a paintbrush in fact it's not until they have the background, discipline, skills and knowledge do the students start painting. First the artists study the basics such as the materials needed to create defining works, the differences between manufactured paint and handmade oils, how to stretch canvas, make frames, and students study in depth the works of the Old Masters. (Right: Eran Webber and his studio)



Keeping in the tradition of the Old Masters, it's not until this basic foundation is laid, do the students study form, light and basic compositions. The models come in and the students start to create drawings and basic sculptures from live models.


The next step is taking what is learned and applying it to the canvas, however before this happens the old tradition of sketching is taught. Then once the sketch is created and reworked until the students the students learn light, shadow and color by the absence of color. Sepia tones and black and white tones are first used to gain understanding of light, shadow, depth, movement of paint and tones. After this step is mastered the artist has graduated and uses color but you will notice the colors are used as an accent in most of these artists' works, a way to accentuate the subject, move the eye, and enhance the overall image. (Right: Hege Elisabeth Haugen studio, Above: Alicia Ponzio's studio)



With this intensive study that the artists are able to create masterpieces that move and envelope its viewers. This technique is drastically different than the Impressionist who use conflicting colors to create movement, the Realists tend to lean on the enhancement of color or sometimes the lack of color to bring drama and focus to their work. (below: Cody Swanson's studio)


We hope that you can join the gallery in September in welcoming the first annual Florence Academy Alumni Exhibition! More information to come closer to the event.