Born in New York in 1948, Robert J. Calcagno began his artistic journey in 1999, trading a successful legal career for one that would have his fingers covered in paint. His work blends American creativity with the French traditions of impressionism, earning him recognition as “America’s French Impressionist.” Calcagno describes his approach as painting “as I see it, not as it is,” adhering to Monet’s philosophy of simplifying forms into their essence.

Despite being self-taught, Calcagno overcame early skepticism from galleries, eventually gaining their respect. His subjects, often French villages, New York cityscapes and figurative works, reflect decades of influence from his time in France. For 23 summers, he and his wife lived outside Bordeaux, where he joined local art societies, exhibited widely and learned directly from masterpieces of Impressionist pioneers.

Calcagno served as a jurist for the prestigious Couleurs d’Aquitaine exposition in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In 2014, he was one of six American artists invited to exhibit at the Paris gallery of Madame Peugeot. In 2015, he represented the United States at a plein air exposition at Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, France, and received the “Ambassadeur” award.

Calcagno’s works grace galleries across the United States.