Marsicano was born October 1, 1908, in
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He was educated at the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, and later was accepted at the nearby
Barnes Foundation, along with
Ralston Crawford. During his years at the Barnes, Marsicano traveled to Europe and North Africa, Mexico, and United States. Marsicano befriended many artists of his time including
Mark Rothko,
Jackson Pollock,
Franz Kline, Raoul Hague,
Phillip Guston, and others. During his teaching career, his students included
Tom Wesselmann,
Eva Hesse,
Audrey Flack,
Milton Glaser,
Joan Semmel,
Mel Leipzig, Thomas Nozkowski, and more. He was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974. Marsicano was married to the dancer and choreographer
Merle Marsicano. He later married painter Susan Kamen. . He died at his home in Woodstock, New York, on January 6, 1991, at the age of 82. ==Major shows==