Massimo Strino, born in Naples, Italy in 1957, has created art for over 25 years, specializing in photography and kaleidoscopes. Since 1993, he has produced elegant, mechanically sophisticated kaleidoscopes coveted by collectors worldwide. Massimo's art combines his aesthetic sensibility with precision technical expertise. This combination of art and technical skills can be traced to his family's illustrious history. His father, now retired, worked as a goldsmith and jeweler, and was one of the few remaining goldsmiths in Naples able to make gold filigree by hand. His father's family includes musicians and painters going back several generations. His mother's family had been handcrafting and calibrating scales and other precision instruments in Italy for centuries. These influences form the backdrop of Massimo's devotion to creating beautiful, refined art; objects produced with meticulous detail.
Massimo began designing kaleidoscopes as a form of hobby in 1993. Soon he found that he was seriously addicted to both making as well as looking through kaleidoscopes. He decided then to turn this hobby into a full time profession.
Serious kaleidoscope collectors consider Massimo's kaleidoscopes some of the most optically refined and sophisticated in the world; in the words of first lady of kaleidoscopes Cozy Baker "virtually perfect".
Today Massimo produces one of a kind and limited edition kaleidoscopes. Inspired by the Victorian era, he uses antiqued brass parts and Swarovski crystal, as well as sterling silver and semiprecious stones. These heirloom objects are designed to withstand the test of time, and to be passed on from generation to generation.
Although Massimo takes kaleidoscope production seriously, he hasn't forgotten that kaleidoscopes must be fun. A kaleidoscope should always surprise us, from when we first pick it up to when we look inside. It should overwhelm us with color and shapes. Massimo's kaleidoscopes can be found in prestigious collections worldwide (including Cozy Baker's permanent exhibit, and Japan's first "kaleidoscopes only" museum), as well as for sale in sophisticated art galleries and gift stores around the world.