Giovanni Martino

One of eight artistic siblings, Giovanni Martino was born in Philadelphia to Italian Immigrants, his father a mason and stonecutter, and mother a buttonhole maker. Together with his seven brothers and one sister, Giovanni’s earliest art education was developed under his older brother Frank, whom he joined in moving to New Hope to seek artistic inspiration helped to found Martino Commercial Art Studios in the 1920’s, a business in which all Martino brothers took part.

He took evening classes at a number of local institutions, including the Spring Garden Institute, La France Art Institute -where he studied under Albert Jean Adolphe,- the Philadelphia Sketch Club, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Martino apprenticed for 2 years, studying commercial art, lettering, design and layouts, but it was his fine art that solidified his place in the art world. Throughout his career he sketched and painted various landscapes of industrial scenes in Philadelphia, primarily in Manayunk. Throughout his career he received numerous awards and exhibited throughout prominent museums and galleries.