Following is an obituary of Gregory Perillo, compiled and submitted by the Perillo and Javaruski Families.

WORLD RENOWNED ARTIST, SCULPTOR & PHILANTHROPIST GREGORY PERILLO (AKA CRAZY HORSE) PASSES AWAY

March 10, 2021
Clearwater, Flordida

World renowned artist and sculptor, Gregory Perillo, the last of the great American Western and Native American artists of the 20th century, passed away at his home in Clearwater, Florida, two days before his 94th birthday, surrounded by his loving family. His health had been declining during the last few months, but he still painted every day until 10 days ago.

Mr. Perillo was born in Greenwich Village, NYC, on March 12, 1927, to Italian immigrant parents, Gregorio and Antionette Perillo (deceased). He moved to Staten Island at two years old and remained there until 2017 when he and his wife, Mary, moved to Clearwater, Florida to be close to their family.

He grew up during the great depression and was poverty stricken as a boy. His interest in art began at age 4. Perillo’s affinity with Native Americans dates back to his boyhood days. His father, who avidly studied American History, entertained him with tales of the American West and the Indian Wars. As he listened, he would take a brush, dip it in espresso, and draw on brown paper bags that his mother ironed for him.

Perillo and his father would visit museums and art galleries throughout NYC, especially the American Indian exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. The initial introduction grew into reverence through Perillo’s own reading and research, studying the customs, history and plight of the Native Americans.

Greg attended P.S. 29 and McKee High School. A World War II veteran, he enlisted in the U. S. Navy at 17 years old and served in the South Pacific aboard the “U.S.S. Storm King” (AP-171), (his rendering of ‘Storm King” is a part of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans). Upon returning from the war, he obtained his GED and attended the Leonardo da Vinci School of Art, a private institution for Italian Americans in Manhattan, for a year and a half. He then worked in the garment industry by day and attended evening art classes at Pratt Institute, The School of Visual Arts and The Art Students League of New York for his formal art education, using his benefits from the G.I. Bill.

Perillo’s most productive learning experience was spawned from a visit to Sedona, Arizona in 1950, where he had a chance meeting with the legendary American master artist, William Robinson Leigh, one of the three most celebrated Western artists of the last century. In what became almost a father-son relationship, Leigh taught Perillo, his only private student, for several years. Perillo would spend countless hours at the Grand Central Art Galleries in N.Y.C., studying Leigh’s paintings. He would also visit Leigh’s studio on West 57th Street. Leigh inspired Perillo and their relationship would continue until Leigh’s death five years later in 1955.

In 1947, he met and married the love of his life, Mary Venditti Perillo. They remained together for 73 years, until his death. He called her Wonder Woman and credited his success to her love, understanding and unwavering support. They became parents to two children, a daughter, Annette, and son, Stephen.

Starting in the 1960s, Mr. Perillo’s artwork gained acclaim in many prestigious galleries throughout the country, including Wally Findlay Galleries in New York, Paris, France and Palm Beach, Florida; La Petite Gallery, Mandel, Norway; Chamisa Gallery, Taos, New Mexico; Overland Trail Galleries, Jacobson, Wyoming and Scottsdale, Arizona; Empire Art Gallery, Empire, Colorado and the Pritshard Gallery in Houston, Texas to name a few.

Mr. Perillo’s artwork is presently in the permanent collections of 25 museums across the country. Over the years, he has been the recipient of many, many awards for his artwork and honored for his philanthropy.

One of the proudest moments in his career was when he presented his painting, The Cowboy and His Lady, of President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, to them in October 1981. This painting is now in the permanent collection of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley, California.

In June 1983, Perillo traveled to Berlin, West Germany to open his two-month long exhibition at the Hotel Steingenberger Gallery. On display were 45 paintings from his collection. The event was a part of the tricentennial celebration taking place in West Germany to commemorate American-German ties dating back to the initial 13 German families which sailed to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620.

In 1990, American Express commissioned Perillo to paint over fifty oil paintings and sculpt two huge bronzes for its world headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. His work also adorned the corporate headquarters of AT&T, and the New York State Governor’s mansion in Albany.

In 1991, Perillo was invited to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, by the President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and presented him with his extraordinary mural painting, Peaceable Kingdom: Nations at Rest. Mr. Gorbachev, on receiving the painting said to Mr. Perillo, “Please accept my everlasting gratitude for presenting me with your beautiful work of art, Peaceable Kingdom: Nations at Rest. A wonderful and inspiring symbol of peace between our two great nations.” It was called, “an international monument to global harmony”. It now hangs in the Kremlin and stands as an everlasting artistic symbol of peace in our time.

Perillo was also an accomplished sculptor and created 9 major bronze pieces along with more than 30 others.

In his later years, he donated his talents to creating bronze sculptures as tributes to Staten Islanders who died in the 9/11 attacks in NYC. Among them, Firefighter Stephen Siller, located at the New York Firefighter’s Academy on Randall’s Island, N.Y. Training Facility, Firefighter Joseph Maffeo, located at the Staten Island University Hospital, and The Spirit of 9/11 a tribute to the Sports coaches, managers and volunteers in sports leagues on Staten Island on the grounds of the Hilton Gardens Inn

Other tribute bronzes adorning Staten Island are Vietnam War hero, Lt. Nick Lia, located at the Wagner College Stadium in S.I., Staten Island South Shore Little League player, Joseph Verdino, and Vietnam War hero, Staff Sargent Michael Ollis, located at the Petrides School, Staten Island, N.Y. as well as The Lenape Chief, located at Public School 62. His Bucking Bronco bronze, which is located on the grounds of the corporate offices of American Express, Phoenix, Arizona, St. Joseph’s Indian School and another at The Staten Island Riding Academy in S.I., N.Y.

Mr. Perillo also branched out into other subject matters, including sports paintings and religious paintings. He designed two stained glass windows for the Roman Catholic Church, St. Joseph’s & St. Thomas, on Staten Island: Saint Tekawitha, Lily of the Mohawks, and Moses”of which the stained glass windows were produced in 1995. The St. Tekawitha window received the Bene Award by Modern Liturgy magazine’s religious publication’s 1997-98 Visual Arts Awards.

In September 2012, Perillo, being a proud veteran, made a major donation of 42 paintings, and one bronze, to the Vietnam Era Museum & Education Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

At age 93, his recent painting finished in 2019, Crazy Horse was accepted to the Indian Museum of the North America in South Dakota, and added to their permanent collection. The museum is located at the famous Crazy Horse Memorial, sculpted out of a mountain by master sculptor, Zorczak Ziolkowski, in Crazy Horse, South Dakota.

Over the years, he appeared on numerous magazine covers including, Plate World, Old West, Frontier Times, County Life, and many other Western magazines. Several hard cover books have been written about Mr. Perillo, most notably, Perillo Artist of the American West (1981), Gregory Perillo and the Masters of American Western Art (1990) and Gregory Perillo: Canvas Playing Fields (1995).

In his younger years, Perillo was a Staten Island Little League coach and manager, teaching and enjoying his son and his teammates. In later years, he would practice with his grandson, Billy, eventually painting his portrait playing as a Little Leaguer – The Slugger. It now hangs in The World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum in South Williamsport, Pa.

When he wasn’t painting, he was a great NY Yankees fan, watching every game. His idol was Joe DiMaggio, and he was thrilled to meet and speak with him several times during his life. He was also a great boxing fan and shared stories of when he met boxing legend, Jack Dempsey. Greg also loved dancing so much that had a dance floor built in his home, complete with a sound system, lighting and smoke, hosting many parties.

Mr. Perillo was pre-deceased by his two sisters, Lucy Perillo Buttermark and Mary Perillo Melia. He is survived by his beloved wife of 73 years, Mary Venditti Perillo; two children: Annette Perillo Javaruski of Clearwater, Fl (son-in-law Stephen J.Javaruski), and Stephen Perillo of Palm Harbor, Fl, (daughter-in-law, Janet Galante Perillo); his five grandchildren: William (Billy) Perillo, Christina Perillo Williams (husband John Williams), Stephanie Perillo, Stephen G. Javaruski and Laura Perillo; and 7 month old great-granddaughter, Ava Williams, who was the light of his life. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

There will be a private family cremation. A celebration of his life may take place at a later date.

LIST OF MAJOR BRONZES BY SCULPTOR GREGORY PERILLO

“BUCKING BRONCO” - THE NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS OF AMERICAN EXPRESS, PHOENIX, AZ
“BUCKING BRONCO” - OCEAN BREEZE INDOOR RIDING ARENA - S.I., N.Y. APRIL 2016

“LENAPE CHIEF” - P.S. 62 - STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK 2015

“FIREFIGHTER STEPHEN SILLER” - NYC FIREFIGHTER ACADEMY - RANDELLS ISLAND N.Y. 9/17/2008

“FIREFIGHTER JOSEPH MAFFEO” - STATEN ISLAND UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL - S.I., N.Y. 6/12/2007

“LT. NICK LIA” - WAGNER COLLEGE FOOTBALL STADIUM – S.I., N.Y. 11/8/2008
“JOSEPH VERDINO JR.“ - SOUTH SHORE LITTLE LEAGUE STADIUM - S.I., N.Y. 9/8/2010

SPIRIT OF 9-11“ - HILTON GARDENS INN - S.I., N.Y. 9/11/2005

“SITTING BULL - CRY OF VENGENCE” - SIUOX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA 11/2019

“SGT. MICHAEL OLLIS” - PATRARIS SCHOOL - S.I., N.Y. 11/4/2015

Born in Greenwich Village, New York, Gregory Perillo is a western painter and sculptor, who continues to live in New York but who makes frequent trips West to refresh his vision. He was one of the first western artists to combine portraits of animals and humans on canvas; in fact he does all facets of the American West including wildlife in a style that combines realism and impressionism. One of his early mentors was William Robinson Leigh.

Perillo grew up on Staten Island, the second child of Italian immigrants who were the only family in their neighborhood among German-Norwegian people. As a young child, he showed artistic talent, and he drew pictures of many of the stories his father told him from his American history classes he took to become an educated citizen. The young Perillo enrolled briefly in art school, but played hooky and then joined the Navy in 1944, serving for two years on the U.S.S. Storm King. On one leave, he went home with a Navy buddy to a ranch in Montana where he first spent time with Indian people.

Back in New York, he married Mary Venitti, and the groom worked in a garment factory and earned his high-school degree and began attending evening art classes. In 1950, the couple headed West, and in Sedona, Perillo met William Leigh whose work Perillo had seen at the Grand Central Galleries in New York. Leigh had a studio in New York, and Perillo began visiting him there and spent the next five years, until Leigh's death in 1955, studying with him.

After Leigh's death, Perillo began selling his work in earnest, especially through his association in the Hudson Valley Art Association, galleries in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and the Wally Findlay Galleries in New York. In the 1970s, he began making sculpture, ultimately creating nearly thirty pieces. In 1976, he became a plate artist with his work reproduced by Kern Collectibles of Arizona and then by Vague Shadows, a reproduction company owned by Perillo and Richard Habeeb.

In 1990, American Express commissioned Perillo to paint over fifty oils and sculpt two huge bronzes for its world headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. His work is also in the corporate headquarters of AT&T in Baskin Ridge, New Jersey, the Governor's mansion in Albany, New York and at the University of New Mexico.

Source:
Peggy and Harold Samuels, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West

Following is a description of a painting by Gregory Perillo titled Feller VS DiMaggio - Original oil painting on canvas - 24" X 36". The descriptive text was written by Steve and Annette Perillo Javaruski, donors of the painting to the museum.

Gregory Perillo is a world renowned artist and sculptor, known for his Western and Native American art, as well as his Sports, Military and Religious works.

He was born in Greenwich Village, N.Y.C. on March 12, 1927 and moved to Staten Island as a young boy, where he still resides, paints and sculpts. His artwork is exhibited in many museums and corporations across the country.

Mr. Perillo grew up a great sports fan, and was most passionate about baseball and boxing. At age 11, he drew a color rendering of his idol Joe DiMaggio, and presented it personally to Mr. DiMaggio at a luncheon held at the famed Toots Shor's Restaurant in N.Y.C. in 1939. After serving in the U. S. Navy in World War II, he attended Pratt Institute and The School of Visual Arts in New York City to hone his skills. Over the years, he has painted many sports greats in baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey, horse racing, tennis, and soccer.

In the 1990s, Mr. Perillo was commissioned to paint Brooks Robinson and Roberto Clemente for two consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award Dinners held in N.Y.C. Limited edition precious metal cards were reproduced from the paintings and were presented to the guests at each event. His sports artwork of Babe Ruth and Jack Nicklaus was also reproduced by Mitsubishi for PM Cards made of gold, platinum and silver. The artist was also selected to create oil paintings for the inaugural season of the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins new baseball franchises. Again, limited edition lithographs and gold cards were produced from his paintings. Collector watches and cards of Larry Bird and Ken Griffey Jr., as well as non-sports related works, have been reproduced by The Sun Time Watch Company.

Mr. Perillo's sports art has displayed at numerous venues, most notably at the Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio. His one man show, entitled "Canvas Playing Fields" had nearly two dozen original oil paintings, along with his Clemente bronze sculpture.

Most recently, Mr. Perillo created and donated a large bronze sculpture to the United Sports Alliance of Staten Island, New York. Entitled Spirit of 9-11, it is in tribute to the sports coaches of Staten Island who perished in the 9-11 attacks. The sculpture is on permanent display on the grounds of the Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island, N.Y. In 2007, he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the New York Giants football team owner, Wellington Mara, which he presented to Mrs. Wellington Mara in New Jersey, and it hangs today in her home.

The Feller vs. DiMaggio painting was inspired by Mr. Perillo's two favorite players, Bob Feller and Joe DiMaggio, the greatest pitcher and centerfielder of their time. He, his son-in-law and grandson presented it to Mr. Feller at Brighthouse Network Field in Clearwater, Florida, on March 20, 2005 during the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association's annual "Legends of Baseball Game". This painting was donated to the Bob Feller Museum, in Van Meter, Iowa, by the Perillo/Javaruski family.