While I've been waiting for my Buffalo apartment to be ready, I booked an airbnb with my partner, Juan Luis Quintana who is an artist. It turned out to be an interesting coincidence.
As soon as I saw the building at the address it looked familiar. There was a reason for that. Years ago it was the artist studio of Tony Sisti, a prominent Buffalo artist. I must have walked by it hundreds of times while there were still sculptures decorating the front.
Sisti led a fascinating life. Born in New York city, he moved to Buffalo when he was 10. His first profession was as a successful boxer. He moved on to a career as an artist, studying fine arts in Florence. In one of the more colorful episodes of his life, he accompanied Ernest Hemingway to the Congo.
He opened his Buffalo studio in 1938 in the building that is now an airbnb. I find myself looking for any traces of his illustrious life while enjoying one of the most eclectic book collections I've seen in years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Sisti
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tony+sisti+paintings&qpvt=Tony+Sisti+paintings&form=IGRE&first=1&tsc=ImageHoverTitle
