Francesco (Franco) Accornero
Francesco Maria Accornero, was a renowned romance cover artist for many publishers.
Better known by his nickname Franco, he was born in Cava de’ Tirreni, Italy on December 4, 1938. Franco graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Instituto di Alessandro Volta Napoli. Before he emigrated to America to seek a career in art, he worked for The Ministry of Transportation in Rome. However, his true calling was art, not engineering or logistics.
Franco studied in New York at The Visual Art Institute. He worked steadily as an illustrator for over 50 years, producing around 8-10 book covers each month. Franco worked with all major romance publishing houses such as Harlequin, Kensington, Bantam, Dell, and New American Library to produce thousands of covers.
His illustrations have been seen all around the world in dozens of nations. At one time, he was the most sought out and the highest-paid artist in his field. Franco was an admirer of the works of Elaine Duillo, as well as Victor Gadino, John Ennis, and vintage and gothic artist Charles Gehm.
Fascinated by what technology was capable of to aid the professional artist, Franco always pushed the boundaries of his art. He worked in oil paints but transitioned relatively early to digital artwork.
Franco died on April 14, 2020, in Stamford, Connecticut of prostate cancer. He left behind many admirers of his beautiful artwork, and most importantly, a loving family, including a wife and son.
LINKS:
All About Romance Interviews Franco
