John D'Auria

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John D'Auria was born September 7th 1945 into a family of artists. John's Grandfather, Emilio D'Auria, was a Stone carver & had been responsible for many fountains in Italy. He came to the United States in the early 20th century & began his career in New York. Many of the stone carvings you see in New York City today were done by John's Grandfather & his crew. John's Father, John D'Auria Sr, worked with his father as a youngster but as he grew older he began to appreciate the qualities of wood. He became engrossed with furniture & Interior Design. He opened his own business in 1953 when John Jr. was 8 yrs old. He would bring his son to work with him when school was out & on the weekends. He realized that if his son would ever be interested in art & design, he would have to expose him to as much art as possible. Although John's father's friends were all artists, he brought him to the Museums in New York 2 or 3 times a month. John Jr. was under the impression that everyone was an artist & when asked to draw something in the 5th grade, he was surprised that no one else could do it. John continued to work with his dad through high school & his father sent him to Parson School of Design to hone his skills in design & to Pratt Institute, but he actually learned to paint from his father's best friend Arthur Nelson, a Professor of Art at City College in New York City. John painted with him as a young man & into adulthood. Through the years, John has spent his life as a commission painter. He has done only 3 art shows. 1st in 1979 to open a Gallery called Art & Le'Automobile on 58 St. in Manhattan, NY. A Ferrari Dealership, then same year at the New York Coliseum. The 3rd in 2003 at the Governors Club, when he realized why he didn't do a show for 24yrs. He wishes to only do commission work. He has done commissioned portraits of a number of famous people & murals in New York City & Florida, including a president & movie stars! He enjoys friendly relationships with his clients.