Alvin Sella (c. 1920 - April 8, 2013) was an American painter and educator. He was a professor of art at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

for more than four decades, and he received the Governor's Arts Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 2009.

Life

Sella was born circa 1920 in West Hoboken, New Jersey. His parents were immigrants from Italy. He was trained at the Yale School of Art, the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

, the

Columbia University School of the Arts The Columbia University School of the Arts, (also known as School of the Arts or SoA) is the fine arts graduate school of Columbia University in Morningside Heights, New York. It offers Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in Film, Visual Arts, ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

's College of Fine Arts, and the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. Sella began his career in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he painted from 1944 to 1947, and he exhibited his work at the

Palacio de Bellas Artes The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It has hosted notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature in Mexico and has held important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and p ...

in Mexico City in 1946. He returned to the United States and became the chair of the Art department at

Sullins College Sullins College was a former Methodist, female, junior college in Bristol, Virginia, United States, founded about 1868 and named for David Sullins, a Methodist minister. It ceased operations after the class of 1976 graduated. History The institu ...

from 1948 to 1961. He subsequently joined the

, where he taught painting and drawing more than four decades. His students included

William Christenberry William Andrew Christenberry Jr. (November 5, 1936 – November 28, 2016) was an American photographer, painter, sculptor, and teacher who drew inspiration from his childhood in Hale County, Alabama. Christenberry focused extensively on architec ...

, Frank Fleming, and

Thornton Willis Thornton Willis (born May 25, 1936) is an American abstract painter. He has contributed to the New York School of painting since the late 1960s. Viewed as a member of the Third Generation of American Abstract Expressionists, his work is associ ...

. Sella specialized in

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

. His work was exhibited widely, including at the

Meridian Museum of Art Meridian Museum of Art is an art museum located at 628 25th Avenue, Meridian, Mississippi. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and declared a Mississippi Landmark in 1985. The building originally served as t ...

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...

in 1974. He received the Governor's Arts Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 2009. Sella died on April 8, 2013, in Tuscaloosa, at age 93. His funeral was held at St. Francis University Church, and he was buried at the Tuscaloosa Memorial Park.

References

1920s births 2013 deaths People from Union City, New Jersey People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Yale School of Art alumni Art Students League of New York alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni American expatriates in Mexico American male painters Painters from Alabama University of Alabama faculty 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists {{Alabama-stub