René Capone

Rene Carol Capone (b. September 22, 1978) is an American figure painter known for his depiction of the figure with whimsical and mysterious imagery often used together. Capone began his career as an artist creating dreamlike, sensual, often homoerotic images of young men in search of love, identity, and their place in the world. That was twenty years ago, His paintings and drawings are now highly prized by art collectors in the LGBT community and hang on the walls of private and corporate collectors around the world.

Capone's style defies catagoration as he blends an evocative mixture of eroticism, child like discovery, innocence, and an undefinable danger. Often creating characters rooted in myth that have to find themselves in the modern world.

Born in Niskayuna. A small town in upstate New York. He is the oldest of four children. His relationship to the famed mobster Al Capone remains a well kept mystery. His birth certificate legally says, Capone.

Private collectors of Capone's work can be found in the United States of America, Canada, Sweden, England, France, Sapin, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Glaxo Smith Kline became his first corporate collector.

He took a four-year absence from creating fine art to dig deep into the topic of child abuse in a graphic novel titled "The Legend of Hedgehog Boy." The novel struck a deep chord with readers, and transformed the artist as well. Other publishing achievements include: "Stripped: The Illustrated Male" from Bruno Gmunder. His work has been featured in, RFD Magazine, XY magazine, Blue, Joey, Y&A, as well as being featured widely over the www. Capone's art career was reviewed by The Advocate in 2015 by arts & culture editor Adam Sandel. Recently his art has been lending itself to published book covers in France to Israel & now featured in a series of books from Arnold Press in San Francisco titled "The Goldberg Variations" Volumes 1- 4 Avalaible: www.arnolandpress.com

Capone was hospitalized for multiple bone replacement procedures through 2015 into 2018. We are pleased to say he made a full recovery,

He continues to work constantly and at the age 40 has created a body of work that defies logic in scope volume & emotional content. www.rene-capone.pixels.com

Article listings & Publications:
2015 - Advocate review with Adam Sandel
Turning Scars into Art”, HIV PLUS magazine, 2016
Cover art, RFD Magazine, 2013 & 2016
“GALATEA” Cover art, DVD live stage perfprmance
directed by Patricia Byrne, supported by The Foyle Foundation and The Community Foundation Northern Ireland, August 2012
Capone Artist Feature, BALACLAVA.Q International Queer Arts Project, October 18, 2016
“Hedgehog Boy Review” June 26, 2011, The Gay Comics List, by François Peneaud
“Wilde Magazine” Cover Image, Issue #2, spring 2013, Queer Art & Literature
“Capone & Hedgehog Boy Out To Save The World" The Leslie Lohman Journal Foundation #30, Spring 2009, NYC, written by Nelson Santos
"The Legend of Hedgehog Boy at Magnet" Bay Times, September, 2007, written Rink Photo
RFD magazine, summer issue 2007
“Caught In The Cross Hairs” Velvet Mafai, velvetmafia.com, 2006, Jameson Currier
“Stripped -The Illustrated male" Bruno Gmunder, 2006, p. 12-16
"René Capone's One Man Show Delights” Bay Times, April 28, 2005, p. 21
“Voice & Vision” Gertrude, cover image, August, 2004
"Pain and Ink", BLUE #50, April 2004, p.12
"Who is Rene Capone?" Cybersocket, January 2004

Parsons School of Design, N.Y.C, NY, Fine Arts Major, Merit Scholarship Award 1997
San Francisco Art Institute, SF, CA, 2001

"Moirée : Under Pressure" The Hellada Art Center & Gallery. 2019. Capone & friends display their view of figure art in Long Beaches new booming downtown art's district.
http://www.hellada.us

Exhibitions:
2017 "Moirée : Under Pressure", The Hellada Art Gallery, Long Beach, CA
"The Chronicles of Zebra Boy”, 611 Hyde, SF, CA, 2016
2013 "A Boy Named..." Live Art Gallery, SF
2010 "Hedgehog Boy Returns," Magnet, 20009, "The Legend of Hedgehog Boy: the making of a graphic novel." The James Hormel Center @ San Francisco Public Library, SF, CA, 2009
"Hedgehog Boy," Magnet, San Francisco, CA, 2008
Get out of Jail Free", Visual Aids Exhibit, GLBT Center, SF, CA, 2007
"Letters to Future Lovers," Red Spade Gallery, Phoenix, AZ, 2007
"Combining Forces," Russell - Capone Studios, SF, CA, 2006
"A Different View," Live Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2005
“Passages” Live Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2004
"New Work,” Live Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2003
“Inviting Your Inspection" Capone Castro Studio, SF, CA, Bay Area Repoter with & Adam Sandel, 2002
“In a Boy's Dream,” Squint, San Francisco, CA, 2002
Ericson Communications International International Trends Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 2001

Group Exhibition:
2017 "Survial & Thriving" Thomasia DeMaio's Art Saves Lives Studio & Gallery, Studio & Gallery, SF, CA
2011 “Dirty Comics” The Center for Sex & Culture, Curated by Jon Macy.
2009 "Alumni Show" Niskayuna Art Gallery,
2006 “Foreplay” Monkdogz Urban Art Gallery, New York City, NY,,2006
"Everyday People” Griffin Davis, Belcher St. Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2005
Emerge” Griffin Davis, Belcher St. Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2004
“Pulp,” Live Art gallery, SF, CA, 2004
2003 "Alumni art show," Niskayuna Art Gallery, NY, 2003
"Mount,” Live Art Gallery, SF, CA, 2003 “Spice” Catherine Clark, SF, CA, 2003
“Naked in August" City Art, SF, CA, 2002
Samuel Gallery, Schenectady, NY, 2002
"Locker Room" Highlands Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, curated by Phillip Hitchcock