The World of Ugo Mochi, Poet of the Shadows

This spring the New Rochelle Council on the Arts is opening a door to The World of Ugo Mochi, the late artist who resided in New Rochelle but was known around the world as a sculptor, illustrator and designer. Mochi was especially celebrated for his silhouette art, intricate cut paper concoctions that earned him the titles “Master of Outline Art” and “Poet of Shadows.”

From April 29th to June 30th visitors to the NRCA Rotunda Gallery at City Hall can step into an immersive exhibit of Mochi’s striking black-and-white “outline art”, on loan from the artist’s estate – the first retrospective of his work in decades.

What makes the exhibit truly special is that a mural Mochi created – inspired by New Rochelle’s history — has hung at City Hall, mostly unnoticed, since 1976. That year a group of 40 New Rochelle families contributed the money to buy and frame the 10-foot panel and donated it to the City.