Alberto Morrocco RSA RSW OBE (1917-1998)

CURRENT WORK
FILM
BIOGRAPHY
slide2
slide3
Alberto Morrocco, Private View 2005 @ Thackeray Gallery, London

Alberto Morrocco was born in Aberdeen in 1917 of Italian parents.  At the remarkable age of 14, Alberto attended Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, where he was taught by James Cowie and Robert Sivell.

In 1950, Alberto was appointed Head of Painting at Duncan of Jordonstone College of Art, Dundee.  It was during this time, that the more ‘Morrocco’ style emerged as he started to explore colour in a serious way. 

Whilst a superb draughtsman, landscape and portrait painter, he was most renowned for his Still Lifes and figurative paintings, based on Italian Life.  Clowns, beachboys, peasant women and melon sellers became his ‘signature’ subjects and celebrate his flamboyant and colourful personality. 

He was a lover of life, and his last Solo Exhibition, before he died, held at Thackeray Gallery in 1997, confirmed this.

Alberto’s work can be seen on permanent display at The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the City Art Centre, Edinburgh.  He is also in many other Public, Corporate and Private Collections, most notably the Fleming Collection.  His Public works include Murals for St Columba’s Church, Glenrothes and the Liff Hospital, Dundee. 

During his lifetime, he received praise and recognition for his works and was awarded the San Vito Prize in Rome, 1959, Honourary Degrees from Aberdeen and Dundee Universities, and in 1993 was awarded an OBE for his Services to the Arts.

Alberto was represented by Thackeray Gallery from 1977 until his death in 1998, holding bi-annual solo shows throughout that time.  Post 1998, we continued to work with his Estate, and held a further three exhibitions between 1998 and 2005, showing previously unseen work, which were available for sale. 

As Thackeray Gallery represented Alberto throughout the most productive and popular time in his career, we are fortunate to now work directly with many of these particular paintings again, as they come back on the Market.