BRUNO CARUSO

At the end of the 1940s he went to Prague on the occasion of the Youth Festival. It was during this period that Bruno Caruso began his activity of illustrating the works of Franz Kafka, perfecting the study and practice of etching. Also during this period he created a series of drawings whose main theme was the Nazi occupation of the Prague Ghetto and the Jewish cemetery also located in the capital of the Czech Republic.
In the years following the Second World War, Bruno Caruso earned a degree in Law and deepened his knowledge in the humanities. This passion led him to form a strong friendship with great authors of the Italian literary scene such as Elio Vittorini and Salvatore Quasimodo. He also began a wonderful collection of art books and artworks illustrated with original etchings or woodcuts, as well as collecting many other works of various kinds such as Islamic manuscripts.
In the early 1950s the Sicily Region entrusted him with the printing project of the magazine "Sicilia" and at the same time he took care of other publications. During his working activity he formed further friendships with great poets including Ungaretti and Sinisgalli and many painters and photographers of the time such as Fabrizio Clerici and Herbert List. Among his activities in the 1950s we also mention the collaboration with choreographer Aurelio Millos for the staging of several ballets.
Regarding his painting activity, in these years Bruno Caruso created a vast series of drawings that represent a strong denunciation of the asylum in his city, Palermo. In this context, he led a campaign to request the revision of psychiatry and was supported by Franco Basaglia. This event highlights how the artist was always active in the fight against all kinds of oppression and violence, and he expressed these feelings also through his artworks. Furthermore, his commitment to denouncing acts of corruption and the mafia in Sicily was always constant.
His style starts from a very dry contour line that is considered a sort of heritage from the models belonging to the European secessions and Art Nouveau. The formalism of these artworks, in fact, belonged to him since childhood also thanks to the presence of Ducrot furniture in his native home. To these aspects, Bruno Caruso adds completely personal scenographies that we could almost define as dreamlike and surreal, but which always seek a correspondence in reality and social criticism. His drawing with very fine lines is made with extreme mastery and this characteristic also belongs to his engravings and paintings.
The 1970s and 1980s, instead, are dedicated to a greater reflection on past artistic production, and Bruno Caruso does this through the publication of the volumes The Days of Painting, with a text by Leonardo Sciascia, and Mythology of Modern Art. In both volumes art history merges with a detailed and critical interpretation of ancient and more recent forms. This is especially the case with humorous and caricatural drawings. The artist's production can therefore be defined as a heterogeneous catalog, with roots in the past and a gaze always attentive to the present. His artworks contain various characters: ruthless, carnal, spectral, throbbing, graceful.
Bruno Caruso was also a highly appreciated illustrator of works of Italian and European literature, both from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Among the most notable works we remember those concerning the works of Kafka, Machiavelli, and his dear friend Ungaretti. His career was also recognized through important titles such as the honorary degree from the University of Palermo in Letters and Philosophy and the Gold Medal of Merit for Culture from the President of the Italian Republic.
In 2003, moreover, he received from the Sicily Region the Archimedes Prize which is awarded to Sicilian personalities who have distinguished themselves most in the world.
Bruno Caruso passed away in Rome on November 4, 2018