B. 1974

Sicilian-Australian artist Eolo Paul Bottaro is a true Renaissance man. With a practice that has spanned painting, sculpture and printmaking, he has exhibited regularly since the late 1990s. His respect for the great masters of Italian Renaissance art is evident – Bottaro frequently employs pure hand-ground colour pigments, egg tempera and traditional fresco methods.

Bottaro’s work does not entirely shy from contemporary issues however. The ephemera of twenty-first century life and figures from popular culture populate his canvases, jostling for attention among references to classical mythology. Whether a raw chicken in the manner of a nude, an homage to Goya or vividly coloured landscape, Bottaro’s imagery unites personality, beauty and history.

A winner of numerous awards including the Geelong Acquisitive Print Award (1997 and 2011) and National Works on Paper, Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery, he is also a Archibald finalist. His work is represented at the State Library of Australia, Geelong Gallery, Monash University and the City of Darebin Art Collection, among others.