Joseph Walentini was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1953. In 1985 he moved to New York City living for 7 years in Soho and 3 more in Williamsburg.
From the mid 80s through the 90s he was a member of The Dante Group, so named because these artists met each week at the Cafe Dante in the West Village. The group was organized and led by the painters Edwin Ruda and Peter Pinchbeck and the participating artists organized several group exhibitions of their work in and out of New York.
In the late 90s Joe moved to Maplewood, New Jersey where he founded Abstract Art Online, a monthly web-based journal devoted to abstract art which was published from 1999 to 2006. The journal comprised art criticism, artist profiles, essays and a conversations series.
After 7 years of continued publication the journal was converted into an online gallery site, Galerie Cerulean, with a continued focus on abstract themed art. In addition to a regular roster of artists a project room featured the art of guest artists. Galerie Cerulean operated for about 10 years.
In 2021 Joe relocated to the Mid Hudson Valley and built a new home and studio in the hamlet of Bloomington, New York near Kingston where he currently resides.
Joe received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota.