The Artist's Journey of Salvadore Del Deo

In June, one of Salvatore Del Deo's three murals depicting the 1976 loss of the Patricia Marie, was donated to Provincetown’s town hall by owner Kevin McLaughlin. Del Deo reflects on a life in Provincetown art, community, and culture.

Who is Salvatore Del Deo?

07 July 2024 - PROVINCETOWN, MA - Salvatore Del Deo has become a name synonymous with Provincetown - both as artist and as well-known restauranteur. This month one of his three murals depicting the 1976 loss of the Patricia Marie, was donated to Provincetown’s town hall by owner Kevin McLaughlin.

Del Deo came to Provincetown in 1946 to learn how to paint. With mentors such as Henry Hensche and the late Charles Hawthorne, Del Deo was inspired to enrich his work in a place that was still wild. He knew immediately that Provincetown was where he wanted to live.

Here, in Provincetown, he met his wife, Josephine, raised his children, and become an integral part of a close-knit community. Like many artists early in their careers, he took on other jobs like fishing and carpentry to sustain a living for his family. Del Deo’s love of good food also led him to run Ciro & Sal’s restaurant on Commerical Street for many years. Balancing his passion for art with these various roles, Del Deo immersed himself in the vibrant life of the town, continuously drawing inspiration from its unique landscape and tight community bonds.

What was the loss of the Patrica Marie?

In 1976, Provincetown experienced a terrible tragedy when the fishing vessel Patricia Marie went down with all hands, claiming the lives of seven fishermen. Each of these men had connections to almost everyone who lived and worked in Provincetown, whether through family or friendship.

Del Deo remembers the whole community mourning, united together with one heart to support each other. Moved by this solidarity, he sought to express it in his work and began painting what would become three murals.

 “When I came to Provincetown, I was a ‘painter’,” Del Deo said. “After the Patricia Marie went down, I became an artist.”

It took Del Deo decades to complete the three large murals inspired by the catastrophic event and they are regarded as powerful statements on the town's history and the relationship of people to the sea.

How did the mural end up in Provincetown Town Hall?

On June 29, 2024, Provincetown resident Kevin McLaughlin, who owned one of the murals for many years, worked with the town and Del Deo’s family to donate the piece to the town. It now hangs next to Charles Hawthorne’s masterpiece, 'Crew of the Philomena Manta' in Provincetown Town Hall.

Del Deo said he never wanted the Patricia Marie work to leave Provincetown; the town that inspired it was the place it belonged to - and now it literally does.

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Salvatore Del Deo speaks at the unveiling of the Homage to the Patricia Marie at its new home in the permanent collection at Provincetown Town in this video of the full 20 minute dedication ceremony in Provincetown MA on June 29, 2024.