Carmelo Giarrizzo came from a Sicilian family of artists: his father, two of his brothers and four of his children were also artists. Carmelo first trained as a painter in his father's studio, and from 1863 in Naples. From 1871 to 1873, he stayed in Rome. Afterwards he was able to live in Naples for another six years thanks to a scholarship. In 1875, Giarrizzo won a prize at an art exhibition in Palermo. Numerous commissions followed for panel paintings, mosaics and frescoes in southern Italy and Sicily. His extensive, rather eclectic oeuvre includes portraits as well as history paintings and genre scenes. In Palermo, his frescoes can be seen in several churches and theatres. From 1878, Giarrizzo was also active as an art teacher.