ABOVE: "I always take my sketchbook, paints, brushes and paper with me when I travel, especially watercolors, so I can maintain my discipline of painting daily," Tony Bennett says. BELOW: Bennett completed "South of France" between performances in Las Vegas, but began the painting on location. The late actor Cary Grant fell in love with the oil painting at first sight and insisted on buying it for his home in the Hollywood hills.

TONY BENNETT - TWICE BLESSED
The Legendary Performer Pursues Two Passions - Singing And Painting

ith 10 Grammy awards to his credit, legendary performer and recording artist Tony Bennett has thrilled generations of fans worldwide for more than five decades with his vocal artistry. In recent years, his singing career has experienced a renaissance, making him more popular than ever. Considered a cultural icon, Bennett still maintains a rigorous concert schedule that includes performances in South Florida on a regular basis.

As a vocalist, Bennett has achieved international fame, but what many may not know is that this talented celebrity is blessed with another gift. He is also a visual artist whose lifelong interest in painting has become much more than a hobby. Bennett's work has been exhibited in galleries around the world, and seven of his paintings have been published as museum-quality, limited-edition lithographs.

ABOVE: "Homage to Hockney" is on permanent exhibit at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.

Painting under his family name of Benedetto, he nurtures a second love that provides a vehicle for his creativity and a source of pure enjoyment. "I am fortunate to have been able to devote my life to my two passions: singing and painting," Bennett says.

Anthony Dominick Benedetto was bom in 1926 in Queens, N.Y. At the age of 5, he began drawing chalk pictures on the sidewalks of his hometown. A local art teacher named James McWhinney noticed the young boy's talent and introduced him to the world of fine art and museums.

Although Bennett attended the School of Industrial Arts — currently known as the School of Art and Design — in Manhattan, he chose to follow his musical instincts.

It wasn't until he was in his mid-30s that he decided to pursue art again on a serious level. Since then, drawing or painting has become a daily ritual. Bennett finds visual excitement everywhere he looks. He has experimented with a diverse range of subjects and has gleaned knowledge from the works of the Masters. Common to all of his work is a passion for what is universally recognized as beautiful.

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