Athos Rodolfo Giorgio Alessandro Menaboni (October 20, 1895 – July 18, 1990) was an Italian-born American artist who spent the bulk of his career in Atlanta, Georgia.
Early life and education Menaboni was born in Livorno, Italy, and developed a profound affinity for nature from his early years. Raised in a family with a strong connection to the maritime world, his father, Averardo, was a successful ship chandler. Young Athos developed a lifelong love for birds and animals that would later inspire his art.
Menaboni's artistic talent emerged early. At age nine, he began art lessons with painter Ugo Manaresi and muralist Charles Doudelet. Later, he continued his artistic education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence until World War I disrupted his studies.
Career After serving in the Italian army during World War I, Menaboni immigrated to the United States in 1921, initially settling in New York City. He eventually found his way to Atlanta, where he would spend the rest of his life. In Atlanta, Menaboni's artistic talents quickly caught the attention of prominent architect Philip Trammell Shutze, leading to numerous commissions for decorative painting in private residences and public buildings.
Bird paintings In 1937, Menaboni's artistic focus shifted when he returned to his childhood interest in birds. Inspired by the avian wonders he observed in nature, Menaboni began meticulously painting birds in their natural habitats. His oil paintings, often mistaken for watercolors due to their delicate and lifelike quality, became his signature style.
The following have been drawn or painted by Athos Menaboni:
American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Golden Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel (also called Sparrow Hawk) American Redstart American Robin American Wigeon American Woodcock Ani Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Black Brant Goose Black Francolin Black Grouse Black Minorca Black Skimmer Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-necked Stilt Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-winged Teal Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bonapart's Gull Bronzed Grackle Brown Leghorn Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Bufflehead California Gull California Quail (also called Valley Quail) Canada Goose Canvasback Capercaillie Carolina Chickadee Cedar Waxwing Chukar Partridge Common Goldeneye Common Kingfisher (also called Eurasian Kingfisher and River Kingfisher) Common Loon Common Munia Common Nightingale Common Raven Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Cooper's Hawk Darked-eyed Junko (also called Slate-colored Junko) Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Starling Eastern Towhee Eastern Wild Turkey European Goldfinch Evening Grosbeak Field Sparrow Firefinch Flamingo Forster's Tern Gadwall Gambel's Quail Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-crowned Kinglet Goldeneye Gray Catbird Gray Partridge Gray-cheeked Thrush Great Blue Heron Great Horned Owl Greater Prairie Chicken Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green-winged Teal Grey Waxbill Hooded Merganser Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Indian Peafowl Indigo Bunting Kentucky Warbler Killdeer Lady Amherst's Pheasant Laughing Gull Least Tern Lesser Scaup Little Blue Heron Louisiana Water Thrush Magpie Mallard Merriam Turkey Mountain Bluebird Mourning Dove Northern Bobwhite (also called Bobwhite Quail and Virginia Quail) Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker (also called Yellow-shafted Flicker) Northern Harrier Northern Mockingbird Northern Pintail Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Orange-breasted Waxbill Orange-cheeked Waxbill Osprey Painted Bunting Peregrine Falcon Pileated Woodpecker Piping Plover Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu Finch Reddish Egret Redhead Red-headed Woodpecker Red-tailed Hawk Red-winged Blackbird Reeves’ Pheasant Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rose-breasted Grosbeak Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruffed Grouse Scarlet Tanager Scoter Screech Owl Semipalmated Plover Sharp-skinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Snow Goose Snowy Egret Song Sparrow Spanish Red-legged Partridge Spotted Sandpiper Summer Tanager Swallow-tailed Kite Toucan Tree Swallow Tri-colored Mannikin Troupial Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Turkish Gray Partridge Two-colored Mannikin Wayne Clapper Rail Western Meadowlark White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-tailed Kite White-throated Sparrow Whooping Crane Wilson's Snipe Wood Duck Wood Thrush Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot Zebra Finch
Decorative Arts Projects
1. 1927-1928 – Swan House (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - First floor: marbleized areas in several rooms. Second floor: marbleized walls and decorative painting in the master dressing room/bath. It's now a house museum.
2. 1928 – Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama (Atlanta, Georgia) - For the City of Atlanta - Restored the sky and painted additional clouds.*
3. 1929 – Rhodes-Haverty Building (Atlanta, Georgia) - For J. J. Haverty - Decorative painting on the lobby ceiling.
4. 1930 – May Patterson Goodrum House (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - First floor: marbleized areas in several rooms, decorative painting in the breakfast room, and decorative painting on the ceiling and frieze in the dining room. It's now a house museum.
5. 1930 – Saint Joseph's Hospital (Atlanta, Georgia) - For J. J. Haverty - Two chapel murals.
6. 1931 – The Temple (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - Marbleized wood columns in the sanctuary's altar area.
7. 1931 – Al Sihah Shrine Temple (Macon, Georgia) - For William Elliott Dunwoody Jr. - Main hall murals and decorative painting.
8. 1933 – The Citizens and Southern National Bank (Macon, Georgia) - For William Elliott Dunwoody Jr. - Five banking room murals.
9. 1934 – English Avenue School (Atlanta, Georgia) - For J. J. Haverty (WPA Project) - A library mural.*
10. 1936-1938 – R. J. Reynolds Mansion (Sapelo Island, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - Ground floor: game room murals. First floor: sunroom mural, indoor pool mural.* Second floor: banquet hall murals.
11. 1939 – Capital City Club (Atlanta, Georgia) - For Philip Shutze - Fifteen large paintings (painted in reverse) on glass and then silvered to create mirrors.
12. 1940 – New York World's Fair (Queens, New York) - For the “America at Home” Building/Exhibit (April to October 1940) - An overmantel mural used to decorate a room by Atlanta interior designer Mary Miller.*
Notes:
* The work no longer exists. Menaboni began selling paintings of birds in 1937, but was, in the 1950s, commissioned to create murals by The Citizens and Southern National Bank for branches in Atlanta, Decatur, and Albany, Georgia.
Magazines Menaboni's art has been featured on the covers of many prominent magazines, such as Sports Afield, Sports Illustrated (2 covers), The Progressive Farmer (15 covers) and Southern Living. These engagements led to other jobs for the artist.
A 1950 TIME article referred to Menaboni as "Audubon's Heir".
Books In 1950 Sara and Athos Menaboni published Menaboni’s Birds, a book of his paintings with accompanying descriptions written by Sara. It was named one of the “Fifty Best Books of the Year” by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. A revised edition was published in 1984.
Menaboni illustrated Never the Nightingale (1951) by Daniel Whitehead Hicky. Since 1957 his art has appeared in every edition of The World Book Encyclopedia (Volume B, “Birds”).
Exhibitions and tributes Menaboni's work received exhibitions at institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the National Audubon Society. His collaboration with Robert W. Woodruff of The Coca-Cola Company helped solidified his reputation, with bird paintings featured on his annual personal Christmas cards for over four decades.
Don Russell Clayton, an alumnus of Kennesaw State University and a friend of Menaboni, donated his collection of Menaboni's works to KSU's Zuckerman Museum of Art and has presented multiple lectures on the artist. He has also curated numerous exhibitions.
The Athos Menaboni Gallery opened at Kennesaw State University in 2026 as a permanent venue for Menaboni's art.
References