Tony Sisti

Tony Sisti
Painter, art dealer, and patron of the arts
Born	1901 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	1983 (aged 81–82) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence; Art Institute of Buffalo
Known for	Painting, drawing, and art education
Movement	Modern realism

Anthony J. (Tony) Sisti (1901–1983) was an American artist, art instructor and patron of the arts. In his youth, Sisti was also a Bantam Weight boxer. As an artist, Sisti was best known for his oil paintings, drawings, and murals.

Sisti studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. He then taught at the Art Institute of Buffalo before opening his own gallery in Buffalo, New York. Over the years, he painted portraits of many important political and business leaders. In 1981, the City of Buffalo named a park in his honor.

Sisti was born in Greenwich Village in 1901. He moved to Buffalo when he was ten. As a young man, Sisti began boxing at a local gym. A year later, he won the New York State’s 1918 Golden Gloves bantamweight championship. At that point, he became a professional boxer. Over the next twelve years, he boxed whenever he needed money. When he finally retired in 1930, he had fought 100 bouts, winning all but 15. However, his real passion was art.

From 1926 to 1931, Sisti studied visual arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, eventually earning a doctor's degree in painting. During this period, he also traveled throughout Europe. He also accompanied Ernest Hemingway on a trip to the Congo. When he ran out of money, Sisti arranged a boxing match in Rome, winning enough money to finance his return to Buffalo. Later, he used the winnings from another fight to underwrite the cost a personal art show in New York City.

Sisti joined the Art Institute of Buffalo as a member of the faculty in 1932. He taught painting and anatomy at the institute until 1938. During the mid-1930s, he also won several Works Projects Administration art commissions including a large oil painting called Circus and a mural at Buffalo’s City Hospital. Unfortunately, the mural no longer exists.