Anthony (Tony) Iarrobino was born in Revere, Massachusetts in 1913. He graduated from the Massachusetts School of Art (now Massachusetts College of Art and Design) in Boston in 1936. After graduation Tony took a job in the color correction department at Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Co. (Chelsea, Massachusetts). Anthony left Forbes to serve with the Army 652nd Engineers during World War II from 1943-1945, where his skills as a mapmaker were utilized. While in Europe on a relief weekend, Tony completed pencil/charcoal portraits of 13 members of his unit—a series he named The Dirty Dozen.
After serving in World War II, Tony was awarded a scholarship to the Bath School of Art in England, and also considered pursuing a career in architecture; he was accepted at Yale , but he ultimately chose to stay in the Boston area, due to his growing family.
Tony returned from the service to work at Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Co.. While at Forbes he worked on the plates for some of Virginia Lee Burton’s children’s books, in particular for Life Story.
Tony’s interest in portraiture continued. He taught private classes and group classes at the Marblehead Arts Association and at his studio in life drawing and portraiture. He also accepted commissions, including oil portraits for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The US Navy (including General John Glover), Salem Hospital, and some Marblehead churches.
Tony began to pursue collograph printing in 1975. The process involves building up and incising layers of various materials to serve as a plate from which to print. The plate allows for the impression of different textures and materials. Tony trained at and became a member of Sandy Pond Printmakers. He established himself in the medium and his work was exhibited at the Marblehead Art Guild, and at Marblehead Arts Festival, where it often won prizes. His collographs included landscapes, abstracts, and figurative subjects. He was also very drawn to the wood carved horses and figures in traditional carousels found in New England.
Tony’s other work was in a wide variety of mediums, including pastel portraits and figurative work. He also experimented with large abstracts, inspired by sails, or buildings, and oil and collographs of barns, sails, and Old Marblehead.
