On paper, Vincent Fantauzzo’s life looks perfect. He’s one of Australia’s most celebrated portrait artists, winning the People’s Choice Award at the Archibald Prize four times. His subjects have included some of Australia’s biggest names - Heath Ledger, Baz Luhrmann, Matt Moran - and his work hangs in galleries, private collections, and museums around the world.
He’s married to beloved actress Asher Keddie, they’re raising two boys together, and from the outside, it looks like Vincent has it all. But his real story is far more complicated.
In this conversation, Vincent opens up about the trauma he’s carried since childhood: neglect, abuse, crime, poverty and the trauma that shaped him long before he ever picked up a paintbrush.
He speaks about growing up completely illiterate, the violence he witnessed and was part of as a teenager, and how boxing became the unlikely path that led him to art, and ultimately, to healing.
This is a conversation about survival, love, redemption, and the parts of someone’s story you’ll never see just by looking at their life from the outside.
You can follow Vincent and find his book, Unveiled, here:
https://www.instagram.com/vincent_fantauzzo/?hl=en
If this conversation brought up any hard feelings for you - please seek help. You can reach Lifeline on 13 11 14
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CREDITS:
Guests: Vincent Fantauzzo
Host: Kate Langbroek
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Senior Producer: Bree Player
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
