Paola and Sunny are old friends and she wished to give her a portrait to mark the birth of her beautiful baby, Athina. The setting is Caribbean because that is where they spend part of the year.
Vincenzo is an acclaimed author with RAI, the Italian State Broadcasting Company. Paola met him in 2009 when he was taking part in the program ‘Festa Italiana’. Paola wished to include this witty and creative young man in her new ‘Mermaids’ collection.
Mirca, the highly attractive former Miss Italia, has a magnetic expression, surrounded by her beautiful children. Paola interpreted the essence of the two women, transforming them into magical mermaids.
Niki has known Paola forever! They shared their carefree youth and their friendship is indestructible: Paola interpreted her with all of her freshness… like a flower that never dies.
Paola is sweet and gentle but underneath the surface she is strong and feisty. When she saw the portrait she recognized herself immediately and the artist was delighted to have given the right interpretation of her dear friend.
'Paola, what will my grandchildren say..?’ Franca asked when she quizzically examined her portrait. Paola replied: ‘They will say that you are a supergran!’
A moment of siesta lying in the cool shade of a makuti roof. Roberta looks at the ocean and is immortalized by the artist. Paola captures that magical moment in which the face reflects the thoughts of the soul.
One hot African day, Roberta posed for Paola and between one frame and the next, she spoke of her love for the wild uncontaminated land and her passion for these gigantic animals: the elephants.
Francesca is a delightful restaurateur. She owns a trattoria ‘Taverna Parioli’ where guests are invited to eat, drink and sing. During a chat she told Paola how she would like to be immortalized in a portrait and she described her passion for the famous actors of the Sixties, and this led to the production of this panel...
The inauguration of the exhibition “Fantasy Portraits” dating 2009 was held in the magical and exclusive location on the 31st floor of the Regional Government Headquarters in Milan: the Pirelli Tower or Pirellone. When the Governor left his offices to visit the exhibition with the artist, he paid her a number of compliments; however, sources close to Paola Franchi told her that he was a little bit disappointed he had not been immortalized in a portrait, given that important political figures such as Silvio Berlusconi and Letitia Moratti were included. This year in her exhibition ‘Mermaids’, Paola tried to make amends and portrayed him as a majestic Neptune, governor of a modern Atlantis.
A special gift for an important client! It was commissioned and the attached photographs provided the basis for this family portrait. A chat between the client and Paola Franchi was useful to provide some insight to the personality of the sitters. When it was completed, the finished product appeared to be well-accepted.
