102 - Ted DeGrazia "Bullfight"

Ted DeGrazia, Bullfight, print 10/37, 19.5 x 24 in. framed (15.5 x 19.25 in. unframed) Born to Italian immigrant parents in a Morenci mining camp in 1909, DeGazia's early childhood experiences in the ethnically diverse community evolved into a lifelong appreciation of native cultures in the Sonoran Desert and a passion to create art depicting their lives and lore. DeGrazia created his early paintings in Bisbee and by 1941, Raymond Carlson, editor of Arizona Highways, started publishing features about the artist. On a rare vacation to Mexico City in 1942, DeGrazia met Diego Rivera. This encounter led to an internship with Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. The two Mexican masters then sponsored a solo exhibition of DeGrazia’s paintings at the prestigious Palacio de Bellas Artes. Returning to Tucson, he received a BA in Education from the University of Arizona. The following year he received a BFA, plus a Master of Arts titled “Art and Its Relation to Music in Art Education."