Acclaimed New Jersey Artist Holds Ties to Yankee History
New Jersey native James Fiorentino has become one of the country’s premier watercolor artists, with landscapes, portraits and wildlife paintings gracing the walls of galleries and museums throughout the United States and abroad. While Fiorentino’ unique painting style in watercolor was recognized at a very early age, earning national recognition and numerous awards form prestigious watercolor societies and art institutions, his career as an artist took off when he began combining his passion for art with his love of sports – most notably, the New York Yankees.
Nationally recognized at the age of fifteen when his painting of Yankee legend Reggie Jackson, Mr. October, landed in the National Baseball Hall of fame, James became the youngest artist to have work displayed in the hallowed halls. Just one year prior, at the age of 14, James met his hero, Joe DiMaggio, who signed an original painting which James still has in his collection today. One of Fiorentino’s most notable connections to the Yankees (aside from with being a die-hard fan) was having painted the “Twenty Greatest Hitters” for Ted Williams and the Ted Williams Museum at just 17 years of age. Meeting players like DiMaggio again, as well as his mother’s idol, Mickey Mantle, who signed James’ original artwork was the thrill of a lifetime for the Fiorentino family. Just one year later, James was chosen by Cal Ripken Jr himself to be his official artist when Ripken broke the legendary Yankee Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played. Fiorentino credits the Ripken project for casting him into the national spotlight for his baseball art.
“I was preparing to play baseball for Drew University,” Fiorentino shares, “and all these wonderful projects were happening. At that time I was interviewed by Dick Shaap for ABC world News and ESPN, NY Times, CBS This Morning after the 2131 game, and then countless other local and national news organizations”
During that same time period, James also had the opportunity to paint the official artwork for his childhood hero, Donnie Baseball. Mattingly and James became friends, and James went on to create the official artwork which graced the cover of Yankee Magazine that year.
It was during the Joe Torre era that James, who become a friend of Torre’s, began to enjoy significant access to the Yankee organization. Fiorentino began meeting and painting players like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, and Mariano Rivera, with many of the players adding James’ work to their private collections. In addition to a growing portfolio of charity work, James began working with Mariano on art with his foundation. He also began working on paintings for Don Zimmer and Gene Stick Michael, who James came to know as he served on a Golf Outing board which benefits the Ed Lucas Foundation, and in 2014 James won the Gene Michael Humanitarian award at the event.
Fiorentino also feels very lucky to have been at some of those historic World Series games all through the 1990’s and 2000’s, and to have met and painted so many players through the years. “I’ve been blessed with friendships with players like Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, and the great Yogi Berra, who invited me as young boy of 15 to his home to sign lithographs.”
Yogi became one of the first players to sign reproductions for James, and they developed a good friendship, with Fiorentino’s artwork hanging on more than one occasion in solo exhibitions at the Yogi Berra Museum. James’s friendship with Babe Ruth’s granddaughter, Linda Ruth Tossetti has also allowed him to paint many wonderful pieces on the Great Bambino. There have been so many ties to Yankee history!
In recent years James has presented paintings to a number of Yankee players at special events, including Latino Sports, an organization that recognizes outstanding Latino players in Major League baseball, from Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano to General Manger Brian Cashman. One of the more unique stories about James’ work, which was covered by the New York Times, was a painting James was asked by Yankee executive Ray Negron to create in the old Yankee Stadium during a double header. James painted on a column in what was known as the “Gehrig Room,” in the company of some of the Yankee captains including Munson, Jeter, and Gehrig himself. Players would come in to see the art James painted on the wall….”The ghosts of the Yankees was felt in the room when I was painting” James said.
Fast forward now to 2019, and James still continues with his passion for painting Yankees baseball, crafting new artwork of today’s players including Judge, Torres, and Gary Sanchez. The current team has me excited about all the new and younger players taking their paces in the history of Yankees baseball, Fiorentino says, adding “because ‘it’s fun, baseball’s fun’, and ‘it ain’t over until it’s over.’”