What Is World Art?
Artists have always been drawn to the world as a subject. It’s hard not to be. There’s something irresistible about trying to capture the whole thing… the places, the people, the culture, the food, the energy, all in one image. Andy Warhol saw the world through the lens of consumer culture. Keith Haring used it as a canvas for universal messages of love and humanity. Peter Max turned it into a symbol of peace and cosmic wonder. And Charles Fazzino? For more than thirty years, he has returned again and again to the globe as both subject and symbol. His world art collection spans the hopeful and the heartfelt, the wondrous and the playful, each one a celebration of what connects us all.
Step Into Fazzino’s World Art
Travel has always been one of the most rewarding parts of Charles’s life as an artist, and over the years it has inspired a body of work that is as ambitious as it is personal. Here’s a look at his world art pieces and the stories behind them.
Unity, Peace, and the Human Spirit
Some of Charles’s most moving world art pieces aren’t just celebrations of what the world is. They’re expressions of what it could be.
For a Better World…
When Charles set out to create this piece, he thought about the kind of globe you’d buy and sit on a desk, and how to translate that into something more artistic while also conveying a deeper message about the state of our world. “We are living in very difficult times and it seems like peace is becoming harder and harder to achieve,” he said. “I, like so many others, have a dream of seeing world peace in my lifetime.” So he started making a list of the people and institutions around the world that stand for peace, including Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, the Hiroshima Peace Museum, and the Roman Peace Forum, and hid them throughout the composition. “You’d really have to study it to find all of them,” he noted. “And world peace isn’t easy to achieve either.” An 8-foot-diameter original version of this globe debuted at the Korean International Art Fair in Seoul in 2019, making an unforgettable statement on a global stage.
Celebrating Our World…The Best is Yet to Come!
Born during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, this piece is pure optimism rendered in brilliant color and fireworks. “I want this artwork to be a profound beacon of hope,” Charles said at the time of its release. “An image that brings us all together in an expression of celebration and a promise for the future. I wanted to stand up on the top of a mountain and shout that no matter what happens, we will all come together, the world is a beautiful place, and there is so much to celebrate.” At 41 inches by 31 inches, it’s one of his largest and most joyful compositions, and a reminder that resilience and worldwide unity are always worth celebrating.
One World… The Circle of Life
Charles has always believed in the connective power of art, and this piece, available both as a limited edition and as a luminous gold mixed-media original, is perhaps his most direct expression of that belief. “No matter where we are from or what we do, we all travel along the same circle of life, connected by our common humanity,” he reflected. Every element of the composition is intentional: butterflies as symbols of renewal and rebirth, honey bees representing our nurturing instincts, and dragonflies embodying the endlessly transformational state of mankind. “A world united in purpose,” he said, “to travel the circle of life in a meaningful way, leaving nothing but love behind us.”
A World for Us
One of Charles’s most philosophical world art pieces, this work speaks to something larger than any one person, country, or civilization. “Our world is home to billions of people all living together, creating diverse societies and cultures over the course of millennia,” he wrote. “Civilizations have risen and fallen. Species have been born and have died out. Through it all, the world keeps turning… always full of life and hope. We honor and love this world and know in our hearts that it is an entity greater than us. And yet, we are all a part of it. This is… A World for Us.”
Love Will Keep Us Together, Around the World
Love Will Keep Us Together Around the World carries a message of pride, compassion, and love across borders. A portion of proceeds from its sale was donated to the Trevor Project. “People from all walks of life should have pride,” Charles said. “Not just pride in their accomplishments, but pride in themselves and how they choose to love and care for one another. Love, compassion, and pride in one’s self will always triumph, and that is what I try to express in this artwork.”
Wonder, Exploration, and the Joy of Discovery
Charles has always approached the world the way a curious traveler does, with wide eyes, an appetite for culture, and an desire to capture it all. These pieces reflect that spirit of discovery.
What a Wonderful World
Originally conceived as an homage to the seven wonders of the world, this piece quickly took on a life of its own. “I found out that there are dozens of interpretations as to the top seven wonders,” Charles explained, “so I just started drawing every one I could find and the image just came together.” The result is one of his most poignant world art pieces, a sweeping celebration of just how incredible our planet truly is.
Exploring Our World…The Wonders of Europe
This one is deeply personal. Charles has spent decades traveling across Europe, through its Mediterranean coastlines, its glaciers, its ancient cities and small-town piazzas, and this piece is his love letter to the continent. “Europe is big and full of wonder,” he said. “During those travels, I have met incredible people, witnessed jaw-dropping sites, and eaten the most delicious foods.” At 34.5 by 56 inches, Exploring Our World… The Wonders of Europe is one of his largest masterpieces to date, a richly detailed homage to a place he adores.
The World Goes Round and Round
This piece broke from Charles’s signature bright palette entirely. Rendered in dramatic metallics, blacks, whites, and grays, it’s a piece that feels more like night than day. And that was the point. “While most people love a bright, sunny day, the nighttime is also incredibly beautiful,” he reflected. “That’s where the term moonstruck came from… and I hope you are moonstruck when you look at this piece, by the colors and by the theme of unification. It shows that no matter where you are in the world, whether it’s night or day, we all share the same world. A circle is the symbol for unity and continuation, as I hope my artwork will be for all who view or collect it.”
Playful, Joyful, and Unmistakably Fazzino
Not every world art piece needs to carry the weight of the globe on its shoulders. Some of Charles’s most beloved works in this collection are pure, infectious joy.
Get a Taste of the World in NYC
If you know Charles Fazzino at all, you know he’s a true foodie. This piece is his tribute to the extraordinary culinary diversity of Manhattan. “They say that NYC is the center of the world,” he said, “and it certainly is for food and restaurants. You can get anything in Manhattan and it’s always colorful and interesting and GOOD!” He worked closely with his silkscreen printer to get the texture, depth, and color of every dish just right in Get a Taste of the World in NYC, because for Charles, even a bagel and lox deserves the full 3D pop art treatment.
It’s a Looney World
When the world feels a little upside down, sometimes you need Bugs Bunny to take over. “Everyone’s talking today about how crazy the world has become,” Charles said with a grin. “I decided to take it one step further and just turn it all over to Tweety Bird, Bugs, and all their friends. I think if they were in charge, the world would be a far kinder, happier, and more wonderful place.” It’s a piece that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face, in any era.
One World, Seen Through Fazzino’s Eyes
What unites all of these world art pieces, from the most sweeping and philosophical to the most delightfully whimsical, is Charles’s unwavering belief that art connects us. Across borders, across languages, across generations. His world art collection is a reminder that no matter where you are on the globe, there is beauty worth celebrating, humanity worth honoring, and stories worth telling.
We invite you to explore these pieces and the rest of Charles’s extraordinary collection over in the Fazzino Gallery. And if you’d like to stay connected to new releases, events, and exclusive collector news, we’d love for you to join the Fazzino Collectors Club.
