Press 2026

Italian feature — Renzo Barbattini

Italian feature — Renzo Barbattini (University of Udine) and Claudio Baffi (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza), "Le api ribelli nel mondo fantastico di Matt Sesow," Apinsieme — Rivista Nazionale di Apicoltura (Italy's national independent beekeeping magazine), April 2026, pp. 40–44, in the recurring column L'Ape nell'Arte ("The Bee in Art"). Five-page feature placing Sesow within Jean Dubuffet's Art Brut tradition, with an extended comparison to Italian outsider artist NOF4 (Oreste Fernando Nannetti). Three paintings reproduced in full color: "Birds and bees" (2015), "Bee Sample" (2012), "May flowers, with bee" (2018)

Matt at the time · his Facebook posts

April 25, 2026

a new article about my art from Italy:

some of what it says:
Who is Matt Sesow?
Born in 1965 in rural Nebraska, Sesow’s life was forever changed at age eight when he was struck by a landing airplane’s propeller, resulting in the loss of his left hand.

While he initially followed a traditional path—earning a degree in Computer Science and working for IBM—he began painting as a hobby in the mid-1990s. Painting became his "medicine," a way to process his childhood trauma and express emotions he couldn't put into words. In 2001, he left the tech world to become a full-time artist.

Artistic Style: "Art Brut"
The article classifies his work as Art Brut (Raw Art) or Outsider Art.

Characteristics: Bold lines, vibrant colors, and a rejection of traditional perspective or academic rules.

The Vibe: At first glance, some may find his work "infantile" or "disturbing," but deeper inspection…

Research notes

Matt shared the article on Facebook on April 25, 2026 with a summary in English: it covers his 1975 accident, painting as “medicine,” his work as Art Brut, and the bees — a theme he connects to the painted beehive front panels he saw in Slovenia in 2009. It also notes that his bees are usually wingless; when he paints wings, he says, they stand for the Phoenix or guardian angels.
A scan of the printed pages (Apinsieme, April 2026, pp. 40–44) is still needed for this page.

Where this record comes from

Career Highlights v16
Matt Sesow’s Facebook posts (artist’s own export), matched to this entry by name and date

Cite as: Sesow, Matt. “Italian feature — Renzo Barbattini.” Matt Sesow Career Chronicle, 2026. history.sesow.com/e/2026-italian-feature-renzo-barbattini-university.html. Accessed [date].

Were you there? Do you have a photo, a clipping or a memory of this? Please write to sesow@sesow.com or use Ask Matt a question, and it will be added here.

Also in 2026

← Back to this entry on the timeline