Renowned Mixed Media Artist Vito Bonanno Is Spreading The Word Through His Art That Autism Is A Creative & Magical Gift

Vito Bonanno was diagnosed with PDD/Autism just before his 4th birthday. Because he was language delayed, his parents and teachers developed strategies that tapped into his high visual acuity, utilizing storyboard styles to relay information. The storyboard grid remains prominent in his work and studio preparation today and is a poignant reminder of a boy who was trapped in his own mind.

Artist Vito Bonanno pictured with his work at Six Summit Gallery NYC November 2022

Internationally collected artist Vito Bonanno taps into the daily emotional and social challenges of living with autism, placing his innermost feelings onto canvas. The New England-based artist’s work is image and concept-driven and embedded in his personal philosophy. His art contains the essence of his life, feelings, thoughts, and dreams, coupled with objects or topics that “get stuck in his head”, including traffic lights, grids, ceiling fans, graffiti, and pop culture. Corporate clients include AMAZON, Google, and The Hartford.

Vito Bonanno’s Red, 2017 Spray paint, acrylic paint, paint marker, artist marker on canvas, 36″H x 24″W x 1.5″D. *This piece is available for sale through ArtLifting, both the original piece and prints are available.

Most recently, the artist completed a solo exhibition at Six Summit Gallery NYC Port Authority Location Public Exhibition Space titled Beauty & Chaos II. The gallery is located at 625 8th Avenue, South Building Floors 1 & 2, New York, New York. The exhibition was comprised of older works of Bonanno’s, combined with paintings that he created throughout the Pandemic, as well works from Spring and Summer 2022. The exhibition could be viewed as a “retrospective” of sorts for the artist, with a history of paintings for art lovers and collectors to experience – while also understanding the deeper meaning of the artist’s body of work.

Vito Bonanno’s King Kong, 2014. In the permanent collection of Amazon.
Aerosol, acrylic, craypas, paint marker, archival glitter on canvas
53.5“H x 63.5”W framed

Bonanno taps into the daily emotional and social challenges of living with autism, placing his innermost feelings onto canvas. He is an award-winning, world-famous artist with a career spanning back to his childhood. The artist has participated in numerous art fairs, as well as national and international exhibitions, in addition to many art shows and high profile events during Art Basel Miami Beach – such as a past NIKE pop-up in Wynwood during Miami Art Week, as well as traveling in an art van Truck’N With Vito! at Umbrella Arts Gallery in NYC’s lower east side, selling his art and spreading awareness about being an artist with autism.

Vito Bonanno’s Cookin with Greece, 2018
Acrylic paint, india ink, paint pens on canvas
24”H x 24”W x 1.5″D

He unveiled his first Solo Exhibition, ‘Unfiltered V: Vito Bonanno Riding with the Train Girls’, in January 2012 at Akus Gallery at Eastern CT State University which included works on paper, canvas, video pieces, a student-artist interactive mural project, and installations. Akus Gallery Director, Elizabeth Peterson stated, “The characters, objects, and ideas that inhabit Vito Bonanno’s work act and interact in striking ways. Caught within the grids and map-like structures he imagines, they are often in a struggle between multiple worlds. He has found a way to tap in the intensity of focus and insight afforded him through autism to unleash a formidable creative power and vision.” His winning pieces, ‘Ghost Town on Davenport Avenue’ was exhibited at the S. Dillon Ripley Center of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. and then was part of a traveling exhibition that went on a two year nationwide tour of university and independent galleries. Additionally, a second winning piece titled ‘Southhaven People’, was on exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. before also partaking in the nationwide traveling exhibition that ran through September 2011.

Vito Bonanno’s Daffy Goes To Waterbury with a Ninja Turtle, 2014. Aerosol, acrylic, paint pen, craypas, archival glitter on canvas, 41.5″H x 41.5″W framed.

He is one of only 16 artists in the United States selected for a prestigious exhibition of previous awardees from the VSA Emerging Artists Program in the Kennedy Center Hall of Nations with sponsorship from the Volkswagen Group of America. As part of the celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the ADA and 40th Anniversary of VSA in 2015, the exhibition included the work of select artists who represented the past 13 years of the VSA Emerging Young Artist Program; Curated by Stephanie Moore, she chose Bonanno’s ‘Daffy Goes to Waterbury with a Ninja Turtle’ and ‘SECR Toilet’ to be part of the exhibition.

Vito Bonanno’s Girl Crush, 2014. Aersol, acrylic, craypas, paint pen, marker on canvas, 29.5”H x 29.5”W framed.

Vito is aligned with ArtLifting, which is a non-for-profit art organization that empowers artists living with disabilities through the celebration and sale of their artwork. ArtLifting is about creating opportunity, empowerment, and validation. This collaboration opened many new and exciting opportunities for the artist, which includes his work in Google’s corporate collection, with art hanging in their Leesburg, VA offices, as well as Amazon, for one of their corporate buildings in Seattle, Washington.

“Unfiltered V: Vito Bonanno Riding with the Train Girls”, at Akus Gallery at Eastern CT State University 2012 (Installation View with the artist Vito Bonanno)

Bonanno was diagnosed with PDD/Autism just before his 4th birthday. Because he was language delayed, his parents and teachers developed strategies that tapped into his high visual acuity, utilizing storyboard styles to relay academic and social information. He was also encouraged to draw in storyboard format to express his feelings. The storyboard grid remains prominent in his work and studio preparation today and is a poignant reminder of a boy who was trapped in his own mind.

Artist Vito Bonanno pictured with his work

The New England-based artist’s work is image and concept-driven and embedded in his personal philosophy. His art contains the essence of his life, feelings, thoughts, and dreams, coupled with objects or topics that “get stuck in his head”, including traffic lights, grids, ceiling fans, graffiti, and pop culture. For more information about this artist, for inquiries, or to commission work contact vito@vitobonanno.com / visit www.vitobonanno.com