ROMANO MUSSOLINI Italian, 1927-2006 The Blue Necklace Oil on board. Painting that features a semi-nude female figure depicted from the waist up. She is wearing striking blue hoop earrings and a matching beaded necklace which coordinate with the vibrant blue-and-white fabric draped loosely around her hips. Framed. Not examined out of frame. 12 X 8 INHCES; FRAME: 21 X 17 INCHES $200-300
ARTIST PROFILE: Romano Mussolini (1927–2006) was a multifaceted Italian artist who successfully navigated a complex familial legacy to become a respected jazz pianist, painter, and film producer. As the youngest son of Benito Mussolini, he spent his early years studying classical piano and accompanying his father on the violin, but after World War II, he pivoted to the jazz scene, initially performing under the pseudonym "Romano Full." His musical style, often compared to a melancholic Oscar Peterson, earned him professional acclaim independently of his surname, though he later embraced his history by publishing a 2004 memoir about his father. Mussolini's personal life further connected him to Italian cultural royalty through his marriage to Maria Scicolone, the sister of Sophia Loren, and he remained an active figure in both the arts and political circles—composing an anthem for his daughter Alessandra's political party—until his death in Rome at the age of 78.
