Im Alter von 16 Jahren erhielt Sandro erste Porträtaufträge

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The cradle of Sandro da Verscio stood in Verscio, Switzerland. He was born in 1941, in a traditional village in Pedemonte, a fertile plain between Locarno and Intragna. Already his Grandfather and his dad were artists. The large family with the common name Müller moved in 1946 to Florence. Five years later they moved back to Pedemonte and then again to Tuscany. There Sandro da Verscio spent altogether 25 years. When he was twelve he modeled a little sheep for a Christmas manger, about which his father was very excited. He was proud of the big talent the boy showed, demonstrating harmony and perfection in his little sheep. When he was 14 years old, he started to paint flowers in miniature. The talented boy received his first schooling/teaching from his dad, who taught him especially in painting of portraits, the teaching of couloir's mixing, harmony and composition.

	At the age of 16 he got his first order to make a portrait. Later he did over 300 portraits in Florence, usually of children. Also at this age he painted his first flowers and a landscape (tempera and aquarelle). When Sandro reached 22 years he attended the academy of painting and sculptures and finished with a diploma. In the art of painting, his teachers were: Professor Domenico Purificato and Professor Collacicchi. In sculpturing and modeling it was the famous Professor Antonio Berti.
Self-portrait with 17 years


Painted with 14 years	Sandro’s sister	Amelia R. II. oil painting	III. oil painting

In the 4 years he spent at the academy, he did his first oil paintings and a self-portrait. He modeled relief's and heads out of clay. He also discovered big joy in writing romantic poems. In Florence he met the famous artist and painter Pietro Annigoni, who did a portrait of Queen Elizabeth of England and other prominent persons. Pietro appreciated Sandro’s paintings. Later Sandro met more artists. In the same city there were Antonio Bueno, Gurnieri, A. Ciccone, the dear friend A. Di Tommaso, Riccardo Saldarellli and the sculptor Marcello Tommasi. In Rome he met the world famous artist Giorgio De Chirico, in Forte dei Marmi the artist Lazzaro and Nino Tirinnanzi.
Sandro’s first exhibition was in Florence in 1964. Other shows followed in Rome, Milan and Forte dei Marmi. In 1965 he created his first sculptor in marble without a model. Sandro was married to Katja Zingg from Basel in 1974. They had a son Emanuel, and two years later the little family moved to Switzerland, near Basel. In Liestal he opened his atelier and his art school. He held exhibitions in Basel, Muttenz, St.Moritz, Gstaad, Zug and Liestal.
	Undine No. I (marble)1965

When his son was six they would both dress up as Clowns (Dada and Vero). In plays, Sandro had a lot of fun with his son Emanuel. He accompanied him on the guitar and the mouth organ. In schools and cultural centers they showed their plays. Sandro also loves to play the piano, the flute and other instruments.

At the age of 39 Sandro decided to learn the profession of a medical massager. He also learnt foot reflex zone massage and lymphatic massage. For one year he worked in a rheumatologic institute. With this second profession he was able to deepen his knowledge of anatomy and he developed a special love for sculptures. After 4 years he picked his artwork up again. Successfully he started to give courses in drawing, painting and modeling. Sandro started to develop an interest in mandalas as the students showed their problems in their pictures. He studied the mandalas more intently and read the corresponding book by C.G. Jung. In 1986 he started to give courses in the painting of mandalas.
When Sandro turned 30 he discovered a big passion for Photography.

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A.	Chaltbrunnental, Switzerland
	Through his love of nature and his strong power of observation he was able to take extraordinary pictures full of light and harmony. He publicly presented slideshows (Multivision) with music. He did other shows about the beautiful Verzzasca-Tal, Switzerland; Sardinia, Italy; the national park in USA, Arizona, California and Utah. His pictures are used in magazines, calendars and posters. We can see pictures of his paintings on books and CD’s. Printings and postcards exist from his paintings, as well as lithographs.

	During the time that Sandro gave the mandala courses, he modeled some heads, figures and sculptors of horses. From some of them he made replicas in counted and limited edition. He created some aquarelles and paintings.
Aurora		Horse head


"Atlantic" painting by Sandro
You can find Sandros’s paintings in Switzerland, Japan, Europe and in the U.S.A
Bust of Doc. Albert Schweitzer In 1990 Sandro modeled the over dimensional bust of the award winner, philosopher theologies , musician, constructional engineer and tropical doctor Albert Schweitzer. He worked for 3 months in his atelier in Liestal and created a well done bust out of bronze. The bust was displayed in august 1990, at the head seat of the United Nations in New York. There he met the daughter of Albert Schweitzer, who was impressed by the similarity of the bust and her father. Sandro though never met Albert Schweitzer; he only worked with little photographs. Before the bust was unveiled the Swiss/Italian TV showed a documentation and different newspapers and magazines published the work.

Bust of Albert Schweitzer and Sandro	Bust A.S. in plaster	Inauguration in Orange, California
Now the bust is at the Chapman University in Orange, California. This honourful assignment by the UNO-Colloquiums “Albert Schweitzer – Visionary of World Peace” is a highlight in the life of the artist.

Bust of Paramhansa Yogananda

In 1995 Sandro produced the bust of the first Indian Yogi who, in 1920, followed his vision and went to the West to teach yoga and eastern spirituality. Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi” was translated into 19 languages and is a world wide classic in religious literature. Three of those busts are in the United States. One in Seattle (Wash), one in Ananda Village, Nevada City (California) and the third is in the largest bookstore in Palo Alto (San Francisco). A forth bust stays in the spiritual Centre in Ananda Assisi (Italy).

Yoga and art school in Liestal

Sandro and his wife Katja opened a yoga and art school in Liestal in 1994.

Sandro taught in mandalas, painting and modeling. His dear wife taught yoga with much joy.

They both integrated yoga in their lives, because yoga means: to become one with all.

Katja left this world in 1997. Than Sandro moved again to Italy and now lives near Assisi.

Two years later he started again to model and created new sculptures.

In the year 2001 Sandro began to build a new school.

And also in this year he met his new life partner, Ilona.

Now he found his inspiration again to paint.

Sandro's house is beautifully situated in a “place of power”.

There can find silence and harmony amongst the green Umbria hills

with their gorgeous views.

About Sandro da Verscio

Doc. Eberhard W. Kretschmar-Sauer said the following about Sandro. He was the Vice-President and General Secretary of the Scientific Albert Schweitzer Union. “Sandro’s understanding of art is inspired by the classic and (again) modern thought, to make visible noble-mindedness of mankind and silent greatness.”

“In the bust of Albert Schweizer we can notice this in two ways: We can feel the visionary and prophetic greatness of the man and we can also experience his silent work of sacrifice in Africa.”Further mentioned Kretschmar: “to co-experience is a keyword in modern art and is needed to understand Sandro’s art. His psychological sensitivity shows in the portraits he did of prominent people, and also in his landscapes. His cosmic vision asks us to experience and feel on a new wavelength in solidarity with all that lives.Sandro da Versio wants to enchant us in a new and at the same time old way. He helps us to open up again to the treasures of our souls, which we maybe have forgotten and suppressed. He transmits power and trust and brings us again close to nature."

Schools he frequented:

- Dip. Accademia delle Belle Arti (Florence)

- Dip. medical masseur

Seminars and courses in parapsychology and healing:

- Media-school: Marinho.Medienschule, Göbel (Muttenz, CH)

-Yoga-school: S. Yesudian, Elisabeth Haich, Peter Oswald, (CH)

- Seminar with the healer: “Daskalos” Dott. Stylianos Atteshlis and Colaborators: Aniko Drozdy, Christoph Stämpfli (CH)

- Seminar Pamela Sommer (CH)

- Seminar Jasmuhen (CH and Rom)

- with the healers of the Philippines

- Initiation in the Kriya Yoga of Paramhansa Yogananda.

Ongoing experiences with spiritual Masters:

- Holy Padre Pio (spiritual children of P.Pio Demarista Scarlini) Italy

- Sticamtiziced Father: Padre Agostino (Castello-Florence) Frà Elia (Calvi dell'Umbria) Italy

- Elisabeth Haich, S. Yesudian (CH)

- Swami Kriyananda

- In India with Tibetan monks and great Yogis: Ammaji, Sai Baba, etc.

Awards

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