Artist Takes Root in Texas

Fra Noi: Italian American Publication Feature, July 2025

Near the town of Marble Falls, about 50 miles from Austin, Texas, lies an unexpected destination: a museum dedicated to an Italian painter.

Museo Benini is run by the painter Benini (who simply goes by his last name) and his wife, Lorraine.

The 6,500-square-foot gallery space features Benini’s works from the late 1950s — starting with his iconic geometric roses, which he painted for more than 20 years — to his surrealistic works of the 1980s, his geometric paintings of the 1990s and his recent, more abstract works. The museum also includes a fine arts research library, archives and an outdoor sculpture collection on 35 acres.

Benini was born in 1941 in Imola, in the Emilia-Romagna region. He traveled extensively and lived in Grand Bahama before moving to the United States in 1977.

He became a U.S. citizen in the mid-1980s, painting his last rose (titled “L’Ultima Rosa”) in 1987, shortly after the flower was declared the floral symbol of the United States by President Ronald Reagan. Benini and his wife have lived in Texas since 1999. They first moved near Johnson City, where they established Benini Galleries and Sculpture Ranch, and then to Marble Falls, where they launched Museo Benini in 2015.

So why Texas?

“Texas, for me, is the place of myth — the gateway to the Far West,” the artist said. “This seed was planted early in my child mind sitting in the dark village cinema in Italy watching the 1940s black-and-white western movies.”

Benini, who has worked exclusively with acrylics since 1965, has showcased his works internationally in more than 160 exhibitions.

Admission to Museo Benini is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays; groups are welcome by appointment on other days. Visit MuseoBenini.com or call 830-693-2147.