Nomadic Life
Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1959, Alfredo Muccino was thrust into a nomadic life from the very start. His family moved to Rome, Italy when he was barely 1 year old. By the time he was five years old, his family started traveling to different countries for at least two years at a time, returning to Rome for short stints before moving to another country.
Eventually his family made the US their ‘home-base’, but that did not stop them from continuing to move to other countries. By the time he started college he had lived in Italy, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Egypt and the US. Mostly he attended local schools which means he learned Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, French and enough Arabic to get in trouble.
Artistic Influences
The diversity of cultures and languages helped shape Alfredo’s perspectives about life and the world…as well as his artistic expression.
Alfredo developed an interest in art during his formative years in Rome where he fell in love with the art and architecture of Ancient Rome. As a young kid, he would ride his bicycle across the city and would spend many hours practicing his drawing skills by capturing ancient buildings, fountains and statues. The streets and the people of Rome, the art of the Roman Empire and the many works by Bernini, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio that can be found across the Eternal City became a never-ending source of inspiration.
Later he discovered the work of Picasso, Matisse, Schiele, DeChirico, Morandi, Hockney, Condo and many others. These artists continue to play a pivotal role in influencing Alfredo’s own continuously evolving style.
Design Career
After attending the University of Santa Clara, Alfredo lived in San Jose, CA for many years. At the time, Silicon Valley was in its infancy and there were many business opportunities to be had. Alfredo started a family and raised his children in San Jose and pursued a career in design, eventually becoming a sought-after Creative Director and Brand Strategist. In 2001 he co-founded Liquid Agency, which quickly became one of the most successful branding firms in Silicon Valley. After 17 years at the creative helm of that agency, he sold his shares to start Solid Branding, the company he still runs today. Today, both Liquid and Solid are considered among the most respected creative consultancies in Silicon Valley. Alfredo has received dozens of awards for design, branding and communications in categories that include logos and brand identities, packaging, websites, retail environments, and product design. He has been invited as a guest lecturer at various universities in the US, Colombia, Chile and Brazil – and has delivered a TedX Talk in Patagonia on the subject of branding and innovation.
Memories & Dreams
Throughout his design career, Alfredo never stopped pursuing his art-making. Over the years he has explored a variety of styles and techniques, and created an impressive body of work. Although his work has found its way in private collections around the globe, in the past he has not made art for the purpose of selling it. As he embarks a new life and career phase, he is starting to introduce his art to a broader audience and the “Memories & Dreams” exhibition at Behind the Curtain in the Morgann Trumbull projects gallery is his first major show.
Poignantly, he has always secretly wanted to do this, but was too distracted by his branding career and his growing businesses – so this exhibition is truly a dream come true.