Leo Politi California (1908 - 1996) figural illustrations, 1943 watercolor on paper Singed and dated middle right. Biography from the Archives of askART: Born in Fresno, CA on Nov. 21, 1908. Politi spent his first seven years in Fresno and then moved to Italy with his family. In 1924 he was awarded a scholarship to the National Art Institute at Monza near Milan. Leaving Italy in 1931, he settled in Los Angeles where he established a home on Bunker Hill. When not painting watercolors on Olvera Street in the Old Plaza, he was art editor of Viking Press as well as illustrator of "Little Pancho" and the weekly "Jack and Jill." He won the Caldecott Book Award three times and was awarded a medal from the Catholic Library Ass'n for his contribution to children's literature. Having painted a mural there, a branch library in Fresno was named for him in 1974. Politi died in Costa Mesta, CA on March 26, 1996. Exh: Delphi Studios (NYC), 1930s; PAFA WC Annual, 1937; Painters & Sculptors of LA, 1938; DeFerrante Gallery (LA), 1941; Glendale Library, 1944; LA State College, 1961. In: University of Fresno Theater (murals). Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940" Who's Who in American Art 1940-41; Who's Who in California 1942. 13 7/8"H x 10 7/8"W