michelangelo galliani

Born Montecchio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy in 1975, Michelangelo Galliani began working as a sculptor at a very young age. The artist first attended the Art Institute Paolo Toschi in Parma and later the Institute Palazzo Spinelli in Florence, culminating with a degree from Carrara’s Academy of Fine Arts specializing in sculpture. In addition to his work as a sculptor, Galliani holds the chair of "Techniques of marble and hard stones" at the Academy of Fine Arts of Urbino.

Galliani tenaciously challenges the stone and its hardness by manually and methodically carving it using surgical instruments. This unusual technique marks an important milestone in the growth of his conceptual work and the creation of an original and exquisite style.

He focuses on expressions, contorted bodies, soft carved features and divine elegance combining different traditions and employing his technical accuracy, the result is a mesmerizing production of artworks that present a varied, irrational, and aesthetically captivating interpretation of classical sculpture. Although the majority of his sculptures are characterized by the ‘non finito’ technique (unfinished) to purposefully make them resemble recently discovered antique sculptures, their dramatic expressions ensure that the artwork appears complete to the viewer. Without preparing preliminary sketches, the sculpted fragments are then juxtaposed with metals, such as brass, lead, and iron, to achieve a contemporary and distinctive identity, through this technique, the artist emphasizes the artworks’ didacticism, while also offering original compositions that skillfully handle the relation between 3D sculptures and flat surfaces.

The artist has been repeatedly participated in solo and group exhibitions, both in Italy and in international locations, including Spain, Istanbul and China. His artworks were featured at the 2015 Expo Arte Italiana curated by Vittorio Sgarbi, in 2014 he was selected as one of the finalists at the "Open to Art" International Art Competition in Milan, in 2008 he wins the 1st prize at the Premio Fabbri, Bologna, in 2005 he exhibited at the Biennale Giovani of Monza and in 2004 at the Rome Quadriennale. Michelangelo has recently won the prestigious "Franco Cuomo International Award 2019" in the Arts section for its original sculptural production and the special sensitivity with which he experiments with new expressive modalities.