Elisabetta Franchini is a native Chicagoan born to an Italian father and an American mother. She was strongly influenced by the Italian language and customs in her household and had visited Europe numerous times before college. She enjoyed her Junior Year Abroad in Paris, France and graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachustts with a B.A. in Art History and French Literature. Since childhood, she had always been keeping up courses in Drawing, Design and Painting. Following her graduation, she spent several years in New York City working for a French couture house while continuing her art education at the School of Visual Arts.
Eventually choosing a full-time career in fine art, Elisabetta moved back home to Chicago to set up her studio. Since then, she has participated in various group exhibitions and solo art gallery shows across the country including San Francisco, Miami, and New York. Her inspiration is found during her many travels throughout Europe and is concentrated especially in the Italian countryside and urban architectural scenes she admires most. Her continuing fascination with the beauty of Italy is reflected in her illustrations for the guidebook, Karen Brown’s ITALY, Charming Bed & Breakfasts.
Academia
1983-84
School of Visual Arts,
New York, New York
1982
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts
B.A. in Art History and
French Literature
1980-81
Université de Paris, La Sorbonne
Paris, France
Exhibitions
1999
Jenkins Johnson Gallery
San Francisco, California
Jayson Gallery, Chicago
1998
InsideArt, Chicago
The Around the Coyote Arts Festival, Chicago
1997
Jayson Gallery
Chicago, Illinois
(Annual Show since 1991)
Jenkins Johnson Gallery
San Francisco, California
1996
Rosenbaum Fine Art
Miami, Florida
1995
New York International Art Expo
New York, New York
1994
Art Miami International Art Expo
Miami Beach, Florida
1993
Caldwell Snyder Gallery
San Francisco, California
(Shows in 1992 & 1994)
Art Chicago International Gallery Invitational
Chicago, Illinois