Above: "Manarola on the Via Dell 'Amore" by William Benecke oil on canvas, 30x40"
Biography: William Benecke was born in November 1934 in Chicago, Illinois and passed away in 2001. He had his formal art training at the Art Institute of Chicago and went to work at first as an illustrator for several of the major studios in Chicago and also worked as a staff illustrator for the Chicago Tribune and the Sun Times.
At the age of 24, he went to Mexico and lived there for ten years during which time he painted and also had a gallery. Studying and sketching trips in the 70's and 80's brought him in touch with Paris, Strasbourg, Venice, Cote d'Azur, and the chateau region of the Loire Valley.
Whenever he returned home to the Midwest, Benecke found time to paint the vistas of Chicago and nearby picturesque locales. He has painted the bustling skyline on the Chicago River and lakefront as well as the laid back shores of Lake Geneva.
