Vito Giallo

Vito Giallo (June 21, 1930 – October 22, 2024) was an American illustrator, antique dealer, collector, and gallery owner. He was Andy Warhol's first studio assistant during the artist's early career as a commercial illustrator, and he established the Loft Gallery, where Warhol participated in one of his earliest exhibitions. Giallo later became a prominent New York antiques dealer, serving collectors and artists including Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, and Franz Kline. Since 2022, the Brooklyn-based jewelry brand Catbird has produced limited-edition jewelry collections featuring gemstones from Giallo's collection. He remained actively involved in the collaboration until his death in 2024.

Early life and education Vito Giallo was born and raised in Brewster, New York. His father, Vito "Brewster Bill" Giallo, was a bootlegger who operated an illicit liquor operation during Prohibition and its aftermath. Giallo later recalled that his father's activities required secrecy, saying, "We had to be very careful on the phone. It was always tapped. We couldn't say where he was. When he was ready to come home, he would always say, 'Put the water on to boil.'"

Education After winning a scholarship in an illustration competition, Giallo moved to New York City to study at the Franklin School of Professional Arts in 1949.

Giallo later reconciled with Warhol, who became a regular customer. Warhol was fascinated by his shop's Madison Avenue location, saying, "Wow, you must be on Easy Street," and visited nearly every day during the final eight years of his life. Giallo contributed to the auction catalog, writing "For Andy, starting a new day meant buying something. On most mornings around 11 o'clock he would arrive at my shop, much to the delight of my customers, with several Interviews (Warhol's magazine) under his arm, ready to pass them out and autograph them. Andy's mania for collecting was an extension of his painting. He would buy rows and rows of mercury glass vases, copper luster pitchers, Victorian card cases. One couldn't help being reminded of his paintings of multiple images."

In July 1993, Giallo closed his shop to concentrate on his antiques rental business, supplying furniture, decorative objects, and other items for film productions and photography shoots.

Catbird x Vito's Gems collection During the COVID-19 pandemic, Giallo began collaborating with the Brooklyn-based jewelry company Catbird after showing gemstones from his collection to Tara Marrale, his great-grandniece by marriage, who lived upstairs. Marrale suggested that the stones could be used in a jewelry collaboration, leading her to contact Catbird. His Brooklyn apartment became known for its densely layered interiors, combining artworks with European antiques and objects acquired throughout his career.

In pop culture Giallo appeared in the documentary series Andy Warhol: The Complete Picture (2001). He also contributed original illustrations to Andy Warhol's New York City: Four Walks Uptown to Downtown (2010) by Thomas Kiedrowski.