Jojo Capece
Jojo Capece (full name Marie Josette Capece Minutolo), born September 3, 1941, in New York City, is an author, sculptor, and painter. She has led a varied life, including periods in Istanbul, Reagan-era Washington, D.C., Thatcherite London, Rome, and San Francisco. She has published three books, All Roads Lead to Rome (2011), Bella Figura (2013), and Portofino Souvenir (2015), and a screenplay, For Better or Worse. [1]
Biography
Capece was born in Manhattan, the second of three daughters, to attorney Joseph Capece Minutolo and Rose D'Andrea, daughter of Mark D'Andrea, bespoke tailors of D'Andrea Brothers, Rockefeller Center. She was introduced to the art of illustrator René Gruau and Alberto Giacometti at a young age. Her paternal grandfather, a concert pianist, also instilled in her a love of culture and music. Her initial ambition to be an actress was discouraged by her mother, and she turned to studying art and anatomy at Parsons School of Design.[2]
Discouraged by her parents from pursuing an art career, she studied at New York University,[2] then joined Condé Nast's Glamour magazine.[3] Fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert mentored her in public relations, and a stint in television led to a position as Public Relations Director of Fabergé (cosmetics).[2]
In 1967, Capece married Willard Douglas Campbell, Jr., an Air Force officer. They moved to Istanbul, Turkey, living in Istinye overlooking the Bosporus. For three years, she learned the Turkish language and worked with disadvantaged girls from Anatolia. While in Istanbul, she was severely injured in an automobile accident, spending two months in the hospital. She brought her piano to Istanbul, entertaining friends by playing American jazz. She also performed the lead role in Murray Schisgal's play, The Typists, at the Mobile Oil Theater. Artistically, she became involved in the restoration committee for Topkapi Palace and experimented with metalworking techniques from the Hittite period for sculpture.
Upon returning to America, she lived in Washington, D.C., where she had three children. She accepted commissions for paintings and works on paper from the Cafritz family, Colonel Eugene Myers (former director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art), and Joe Hirshhorn of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. She was actively involved with the first Reagan Administration. In 1984, Capece established her PR company, Mary Jo Campbell Ltd.[4][5]
In 1986, she divorced, opened a London branch office on Bond Street, and moved to Chelsea with her children, who were educated at Harrow School, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and University of St Andrews, respectively. By 1990, living in the Cotswolds, she began to focus on writing and art, ceasing business pursuits. In 1993, the Holy See granted Capece an annulment from her first marriage.
She resided in the historic center of Rome for a dozen years. She continued her musical pursuits, playing with a three-piece combo at a theatre on Via Veneto in "Evenings with Gershwin". Artistically, she studied with Giovanni Paganin, a futurist sculptor in Milan, Professor Domenico Annichiarico at the Academia di Belle Arti in Carrara, and Maestro Massoni in Rome.[6] Her traditional training involved clay work with mythological and allegorical figures conveying emotion. At her atelier in the Centro Storico, she developed figurative sculpture collections, creating lost-wax castings in bronze. Her marble work was also prominent in Rome. Daniel Besseiche Gallery in France and Higgonet's Galleria del Leone in Venice represented and exhibited her sculpture. Maintaining connections in London, she was a guest artist for life drawing sessions at the Royal Academy of Arts through the Chelsea Arts Club. [6]
Personal life
In 1992, in Rome, Capece met author Carlo Cristiano Delforno. He inspired her writing and sculpture for several years until his death. This relationship significantly influenced her sculpture, most notably depicted in her novel, All Roads Lead to Rome.
In 1998, while in London, Capece met playwright Anthony Shaffer. Their secret relationship spanned several years, prompting Capece's return to London. Shaffer's sudden death dramatically altered her life. Claiming Shaffer intended to marry her, Capece unsuccessfully challenged his legal wife, Diane Cilento, for a share of his estate. The case hinged on whether Shaffer's London flat or his Queensland estate was his primary residence.[7][8][9] During the legal proceedings, Capece studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London and wrote Death of a Playwright, chronicling her experience.
In December 2007, Capece returned to America, joining her children. She relocated to San Francisco, where she reconnected with widower the Honorable Edgar dePue Osgood. Within eight months, Mayor Gavin Newsom presided over their marriage ceremony at City Hall. They later remarried in a religious ceremony at Chelsea Old Church, London.
Capece has published three books, All Roads Lead to Rome (2011), Bella Figura (2013), and Portofino Souvenir (2015), and written a screenplay, For Better or Worse. She continues to receive commissions for paintings and sculptures. Her artwork was featured in a fundraising benefit for the Italian town of Amatrice, held at the Instituto Culturale Italiano in San Francisco in December 2016.[10]
Literary work
- All Roads Lead to Rome, ISBN 1466282851, published 2011
- Bella Figura, ISBN 1482076616, published 2013
- Portofino Souvenir, ISBN 1518707173, published 2015
- For Better or Worse, screenplay, optioned 2007, Writer's Guild of America
Publications and appearances
- The Omnivore, "Forever 50," July 24, 2014[11]
- "Bay Area Author Turns Love Affair With Italy Into Book", CBS TV Eyewitness News, February 1, 2012
- "Jojo Capece's 'Bella Figura'", Fox Television News, August 20, 2013[12]
Distinctions
- Honorable Seref Uyeligi, 1969, from the Turkish American University
- Member, President Reagan's Task Force for the Initiative of Women's Business Ownership, 1984
- American advisor, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Committee, Women Into Business, 1988
References
- ↑ Accardi, Catherine. "Portofino Souvenir & A Conversation with Jojo Capece". Italo-Americano. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFlorida - ↑ Watts, Merritt (2016). First Jobs: True Tales of Bad Bosses, Quirky Coworkers, Big Breaks, and Small Paychecks. Picador. ISBN 978-1250061256. Retrieved 16 February 2017. Search this book on
- ↑ GAMAREKIAN, BARBARA (January 8, 1985). "INAUGURATION ANTICIPATION: IT'S WILD". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ McLellan, Joseph (April 14, 1982). "All for Wolf Trap". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Benefit Auction Welcome to the Amatrice Benefit Auction. Join us December 8, 2016 at the Italian Cultural Institute". Amatrice. 2016.
- ↑ "Anthony Shaffer's mistress denied fortune". UPI. February 10, 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ O'Neill, Sean (February 10, 2004). "Shaffer's lover fails in battle over his estate". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ Barkham, Patrick (February 10, 2004). "Writer's tangled love life laid bare by fight over will". The Time. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ Accardi, Catherine (January 11, 2017). "Artists in San Francisco for Amatrice". L'Italo-Americano. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ↑ The Omnivore, "Forever 50," July 24, 2014
- ↑ "Jojo Capece's 'Bella Figura'", Fox Television News, August 20, 2013
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