It is with sadness that I have to report that Romeo Di Girolamo, Honorary member of the Buckinghamshire Art Society passed away on October 10th this year.
He was born in Civitella Casanova, Italy in 1939 and moved to Quainton in 1949. He attended Waddesdon C of E school and he graduated from High Wycombe school of Art in 1959. Aged 17, Romeo began exhibiting and was soon elected to full member of RBA. He exhibited at the Royal Academy where his paintings of industrial landscapes brought him international acclaim. In 1959 his work was chosen for a major exhibition at Olympia featuring only 18 artists including LS Lowry, Henry Moore and Stanley Spencer.
He had a one man show at the FBA, received a La Voce Award and in 1978 the Italian government conferred on him a knighthood withe the title of Cavaliere OMRI for his outstanding achievements.
He has won a Royal Academy Travelling Award, the Buckinghamshire Architectural Drawing competition twice, the Buckinghamshire Art Scholarship for 3 years and the Granada Theatres national Painting Prize. The De Laszlo Medal, the Italia Award, the Winsor and Newton Prize are some of the other awards he has won.
He was made Honorary member of Royal Birmingham Society of Artist and the Wolverhampton Society of Artists. He has taken part in a number of one man shows and exhibitions under the patronage of the Italian Embassy including retrospective at Grosvenor Square.
Romeo has also had a distinguished career in art and design education He was head of department Secondary, Grammar and Comprehensive schools; Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Principal Lecturer and at the age of 36, Head of Amersham School of Art and Design. His initiatives in education earned him a place on regional and national committees including IRSCADE.
In his seventies he was elected Honorary Secretary, then Chairman of the Anglo Italian Football Association. In 1989 Romeo became President of the Royal Society of British Artists.
During his retirement he has also been chairman of Queens Park Arts Centre, Aylesbury.
Romeo was an Invited Honorary member of the Buckinghamshire Art Society and Chaired our Society for a time. His wife, Megan and daughter Selina with artists in their own right, were also BAS Honorary members. they have continued to support the Society until the present time.
Selina set up our Young Artists Award and after her death in 2011, Romeo and Megan set up the Selina Award in her memory. This was an extra prize to encourage arts in the young and the winner was always chosen by Romeo and Megan.
Romeo at BAS Young Artists Awards.
