Take a virtual tour of Coop Cooprider’s Private selection of DIEGO artworks he is letting go, though not easily! Couretsy of Stephen Max, DVP Producer and DIEGO COLLECTOR. Find out #SPECIAL PACKAGE #DEALS and #BOGO Details at link below images.
https://www.artworkarchive.com/rooms/cooprider-family-collection/db627d Thank you!
These colorful #muses are a testament to Diego’s comment about women:
“A man look at woman… this is cerebral feeling. Venus is love god … who made her? In reality Venus never existed. I like for example fat woman … that’s the way I build Venus. Or I like the skinny woman … that’s the way I build Venus.” DIEGO #VOCI, 1974
Using glass paint on canvas, Diego did a series of experimental glass paintings. See more of Coop’s #DIEGO_VOCI collection: Art Collection from Cooprider Family Collection | Artwork Archive
Since 2009, when the Diego Voci Project began with a find on the internet at ARTIFACTCOLLECTORS.com thanks to Mary Trimmins and a handful of Diego aficionados, the DVP has archived more than 1,000 artworks by Antonio DIEGO Voci (1920-1985) (VOH-chee). The DVP, our all volunteer group, purpose is to increase the awareness and the value of the great body of artwork created by DIEGO! We locate, collect and catalog Diego’s works as the only officially authorized DIEGO VOCI ARCHIVE by Helga Voci, Diego’s widow and sole owner of the DIEGO VOCI ESTATE.
#DIEGO VOCI painted this large “Gasthaus” scene in his #studio in Taunusstein, Germany. Shown here the large oil painting is unframed.
Shown above is one of the many faded #photographs taken with the old fashioned camera that used film! The DVP has been featuring many of them, thanks to Helga who located and sent us a box of Index Cards she started keeping in the mid 1970’s. Coop Cooprider, Diego Voci Historian since 1973, had suggested ‘somehow tracking to whom the DIEGOs were sold‘. Since 2009, the DVP has been searching the world for more “LOST DIEGO ARTWORKS”. Some of Helga’s cards have images, but the majority do not.
HELP THE DIEGO VOCI PROJECT FIND MORE OF THE #MASTER DIEGOs ART!
Helga used both polaroids and film to catalog DIEGO’s works. Shown below is the same DIEGO “Gasthaus” scene once it had been framed. Note how the FLASH however obliterates the female figure to the right. When taking images of your Diego art, note that the DVP is best suited to archive DIEGO’s artworks with reproducible (min. 300 dpi) straight-on squared images taken without a flash. Sometimes daylight is great too if not too bright! Front and back of artworks are preferred. Include any provenance you have!
#DIEGO VOCI’s large “Gasthaus” scene is shown here framed. What is the abstract image of in the lower right back of the easel/painting? IS it a #Picasso horse?
If you recognize any of the DIEGO #artworks in our posts on SOCIAL MEDIA, email us:
Any information or whereabouts of this painting, email us at diegovociproject@gmail.com
AC P of W 4/3/2013
“HELGA and DIEGO” by Helga Voci
Chapter 5 #Wiesbaden, #Germany. 1968 Marriage in #Denmark.
“In Spring 1965 Diego wanted to go to #Germany and we came to #Wiesbaden where he had been living for sometime with Josiane, his ex-wife. We both liked Wiesbaden, so we rented an apartment in #Sonnenbergerstrasse. It was a beautiful place, we got it for a very low price, but had made a contract for 5 years and agreed to renovate it. So for at least 6 months we were living in the middle of sand, concrete, and tiles. But at the end we had a beautiful high ceiling living-room with open fireplace, fantastic new bathroom and a beautiful Studio. We had hand-painted and gold-plated dining-room furniture which I still have today and many beautiful paintings.
In this period #Diego found the Gallery Dahms in Wiesbaden where he exhibited and sold many paintings. He still made caricatures from time to time in #Wiesbaden, #Heidelberg and #Ramstein. There he met Joy Naffouj, a Canadian gallery owner, who was exhibiting different artists in an art show. She was very interested in Diego’s work, so he started to give her some paintings and drawings on commission.
Since his work was selling very well, they both made a contract: so many paintings for so much money per month. I believe this was when #Diego began signing with the name”Diego.” Before he had mostly signed A.Voci (Antonio Voci) or D.Voci (Diego Voci). It worked quite well.
We finally decided to marry, which we did in January 68 in #Denmark. As #Diego did not have to bother anymore about how to sell his paintings, we decided to spend the winter in the Canary Islands. We took our car in December 1968, with lots of canvases and paints of many colors. We went to #Barcelona and took the boat to Puerto del la Cruz (#Tenerife). We rented a little house on top of a big house with a very big terrace. We had a beautiful view over the ocean. We had wonderful 6 months. #Diego painted each day. Once a month we made a roll of the canvases and sent them to Joy and Jadat Naffouj in #Landstuhl, Germany.
In March 1970 the contract of our apartment in #Wiesbaden finished, the house was supposed to be sold, so Diego had the idea to move to Italy. In March 1970 we ordered a shipping company, deposited our furniture in #Bavaria at my parents` place and left for #Italy. We went to several places and finally rented a villa in Riccione at the Italia Adrian seaside. Diego was painting and still sending his paintings to Naffouj Gallery.”
AC DV History #38 6/15/2010
AC DV History #158 11/20/2013
“HELGA and DIEGO” by Helga Voci
CHAPTER 4 Schloßgalerie and Switzerland
“Diego had to stay in Marrakech until August, so I decided to take a job in a travel agency in Lugano, Switzerland. This gave me the possibility to work and also to improve my Italian. I was already able to speak, but I didn’t know the grammar, so I took private lessons. Finally in August 1962 Diego joined me in Lugano.
In Switzerland it was for the first time, where Diego was seriously looking for galleries. He went to Geneva, Bern, and also to Zurich. In Zurich he found the Schloßgalerie where the owner was very interested in showing his work. So Diego decided to stay for some time in Switzerland. We rented a boathouse at the lake of Constance close to Zurich and Diego painted. The gallery owner sold quite many paintings; but unfortunately I don`t know the names of the customers and which paintings were sold.
Antonio (Diego) Voci
1963 Studio provided by Schlossgalerie, Zurich Switzerland, owner R. Buri
At that time we never took pictures of the paintings, which is a pity. I feel very sorry, but I was young.
I had no experience and Diego did not care. If I could go back 50 years, I would do many things completely different. We stayed in Zurich until June 1963.
During this period Diego went also several times to Aviano, Italy, the American base. He would do caricatures there. At that time a painting was sold and brought to President John F. Kennedy, who was visiting Wiesbaden. (I don`t remember what it looked like).
In Italy, we stayed for some time in Milan, Florence, and Rome. Finally we came to a small medieval town in northern Italy, called Asolo with only 1000 inhabitants. We rented an apartment in a very old house in the middle of the town with a big terrace and Diego made his first real Studio. He mostly sold in Zurich in the Schloßgalerie. But he also worked with a gallery in Milan “Globart Kunstgalerie.””
Courtesy of the Diego Voci Project. Visit www.diegovociproject.com
Diego Voci on YouTube and Google
AC DV History #37 6/15/2010
AC P of W #207 6/9/2014
Diego felt his creativity was confined in portraits. #DiegoVoci deeply resisted the restriction. What about caricatures? Diego said,“They are fun. I can be creative.”
In 1976 Frank Freeman somehow convinced Diego to do portraits of his two sons John and Mitch. Frank and his wife had met – and seen Diego several times while living in #Wiesbaden, Germany. They had even bought a “Landscape” from Diego in Schwetzingen (#Heidelberg area in 1974). See the Freeman’s and other #landscapes on our Pinterest “Landscape” board: https://www.pinterest.com/diegovoci/landscape-gallery/
One day Frank visited “Galerie #Dahms” in Wiesbaden’s fancy Wilhelmsstrasse shopping district and saw a portrait of a young girl. Frank named her “Principessa” as it was unknown who she really was. Diego had used “pastel and felt-tip on posterboard” to capture the young girl. “It was a commission, that was refused by the ‘buyer’ stating ‘It doesn’t look like my daughter’!”
Having not forgotten the exquisite portrait, for Frank it was “the inspiration for asking Diego to do my boys – over his protestations!” Just months before Frank and his family were due to return to the United States he commissioned Diego do portraits of his sons, John and Mitch, then 9 and 5 ½.
John, age 9 and Mitch, age 5 1/2 (1976) by #Diego
“On a Sunday afternoon in mid-July 1976, I took the boys to his Wiesbaden home (Taunusstein), where Diego spent about 15-20 minutes capturing each boy’s likeness.” Frank recalls, “when I got home, I began to see the “Principessa’s” father’s viewpoint . . . the portraits weren’t really as the boys looked.” But “3 years later, comparing the boys to their portraits, they were EXACT likenesses!!! Diego had envisioned the boys as they would look a few years later. THEY matched what he had drawn!! Prescient!!”
A few days before leaving Germany Frank recalls to his surprise, “I got a call from Siegfried DAHMS, owner of the gallery, who informed me that DIEGO had instructed that I be given the portrait of “Principessa” in appreciation for our patronage.” Frank owns it.
“Principessa” Unknown Subject, “Who am I?” Diego drew me in 1974.
To this day, it is a mystery as to who the young girl may be. Frank hopes that someone out there may see this post! Do you know who she is?
Another rare portrait done in charcoal and pastels by #Diego of Mike Kennedy’s mother in the early 60’s can be seen: https://diegovociproject.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/mothers-portrait-by-diego-and-new-generation/
Do you own a portrait by Antonio #DiegoVoci? Tell us: diegovociproject@gmail.com
Search DIEGO VOCI on YouTube and Google!
“HELGA and DIEGO” by Helga Voci
Helga (here in the image) enjoying the moment in a Paris Bistro.
CHAPTER 3 Paris Summer 1960 to February 1962
“In Paris summer 1960… I got very sick and I was in the Hospital for 3 months. I was very weak when I came out and had lost a lot of weight, so in order to get strong again Diego went with me to South France. We stayed in very good hotels; he made me eat a lot of very good food, a very calm life. At that time he did very beautiful drawings, but he did not keep them, he gave them to people in Hotels or to friends. We stayed there until November 1960.
From there I flew to Munich and stayed some weeks over Christmas in Bavaria with my family while Diego went to London. He rented a beautiful furnished apartment in SoHo. In January 1961, I followed him to London. I studied English and Diego made some paintings and drawings. From time to time he made caricatures in American Officer’s clubs. He did not look for Galleries to make exhibits. When I asked him, he always said: “I`m not ready yet, I have to study more.”
The weather was very bad in London and Diego wanted to go south to the sun. So we decided to go to Spain in October 1961. We took the car and went southward, stopped in several cities and after about 1 month we arrived in the Andalusia region in a very beautiful little fishing village called Almunecar. This was an artist`s colony, all kind of artists from different countries. We stayed until January 1962. We had a beautiful and very interesting time with long discussions, Diego also made paintings and drawings but he never kept anything, when the painting was finished he was not interested anymore and made presents to friends. He was very popular among the Spanish people also the higher class and he felt wonderful.
In February 1962 we left Spain and went to Morocco, first to Casablanca and Tangier and then he was supposed to go to Marrakech to do some work in an American Officers’ Club. I had to go to Germany for personal reasons, so I flew to Munich while Diego stayed in Marrakech.”
AC DV History 6/10/2010 Post #36
As evidence of Diego’s dedication to Helga here is the #Paris registration required for Diego to speak for his new love Helga in the hospital. Notice (in the image below) Diego is still signing Antonio Voci. “Diego” did not show up on documents for another 5 years.
What follows in the next blog is Chapter 3 Paris Summer 1960 to February 1962 by Helga.
Jerry Caruso wrote to Artifact Collectors on January 27, 2013 that he was interested in selling his Diego landscape, see image below.
Jerry shares,
“We were at Ramstein Air Base from 68 – 74 and have a Diego landscape. The painting is oil on canvas and is approximately 24″ X 36″. We are open to selling it, if you are interested, please make an offer.”
The Diego Voci Project responded but, it seems because it was only a “Guest” post instead of registering as an Artifact Collectors Member (it’s free), everything is lost somewhere in cyberspace.
The official Diego Voci Archive needs more historical details on this painting. We can tell it is from the late 60’s and probably came from Joy and Jawdat Naffouj by the frame and the “J” by the serial number. During this time-frame of 1968-74, DIEGO was represented by Canadian art dealer Joy Gibson beginning in 1965. Joy’s business was located in Zweibrucken, Germany and located near with the Canadian Air Force Base, it was there where she met Jawdat Naffouj then soon moved to Ramstein / Landstuhl where they established a gallery and got married.
Please contact us diegovociproject@gmail.com or visit www.diegovociproject.com.
AC P of W #110 2/4/2013
diegovociproject 