June 14, 1909 - September 17, 1982
Our most prolific neighborhood artist
Author: Stephen Brigham
Described as “the world’s most reproduced artist”, Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia’s colorful images of Native American children of the American Southwest and other Western scenes continue to be popular today.
Born to Italian immigrants in 1909 in Arizona mining town, Morenci, his family was part of the Morenci Mines workforce. DeGrazia also worked in the mines with his family. Life underground convinced him that he did not want to live life as a miner.
He eventually took up art and apprenticed with Diego Rivera, Mexico’s master muralist and with José Clemente Orozco, Mexico’s political caricaturist, painter, and muralist.
Returning to Tucson, DeGrazia found that no gallery was interested in exhibiting his artwork, so he bought an acre of land with $25 down at Prince Road and Campbell Avenue to build his first adobe studio in 1944. Next door was the beloved family restaurant, “El Chapparal” where many of us in RillitoBend enjoyed family style Mexican food.
Eventually, DeGrazia moved to the foothills to escape the encroaching city where he created his “Gallery in the Sun”. In 1960, DeGrazia got his big break when UNICEF requested permission to use his image of “Los Ninos” to produce greeting cards.
