The first time I saw Besnik Harizaj it was in a shape of a Testa di Moro, in an Instagram story. Besnik Harizaj Bianca Balti, Dolce and Gabbana’s supermodel, was filming herself from her Los Angeles home, and there they were: two beautiful Sicilian vases that were traditional yet modern. I made a little research to find the craftsman and I immediately stumbled upon one name: Besnik Harizaj. To my great surprise, behind one of the most iconic and representative Sicilian symbols there was a man coming from Albania. Besnik Harizaj was born in 1969 in Valona, and studied Fine Arts at the academy of the city. He later became an art teacher, earning a very low salary. With the outbreak of the war in the former Yugoslavia, he was forced to move to Crete. There he made all sort of jobs to ...
From immigrant to renowned artist: the amazing story of Besnik Harizaj
