ARTIST SPOTLIGHT | Gianfranco Meggiato

February 1, 2024 – Dubbed the “Henry Moore of Italy,” Venetian-born artist Gianfranco Meggiato is a sculptural master of both traditional and contemporary styles. He received his education at the Istituto Statale d’Arte specializing in stone, bronze, wood, and ceramic sculpture. On rotating platforms, his kinetic sculptures take on an environmental and social nature creating a dialogue between the form and its surroundings.

Meggiato begins from his own concept of introsculpture – in which he leads the eye to take in the surface as well as the exposed interior of the sculpture that tends to be hidden. His inspiration draws from the masters of 20^th century sculpture: from Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in his modernist search for the essential, British sculptor Henry Moore for his concept of the inside and outside relationship, and from Alexander Calder for openness in space.

In Meggiato’s pieces, the significance of space is pivotal, imparting a sense of lightness inspired by his roots in a city where the sky and sea seamlessly blend. Within his sculptures, air melds with bronze, emphasizing the notion that there are aspects of life that are necessary yet often intangible. In other words, the void becomes as important as the solid form. Meggiato subscribes to the belief that humans embody energy within a physical form, and the space enveloping us is also a manifestation of energy.

The artist has exhibited in the 54^th and 55^th Venice Biennale which he was invited among national participants. He is a two-time recipient of the ICOMOC- UNESCO award recognizing his innovations for combining the ancient and the contemporary in sculptural installations of expressive power and aesthetic value. His work is exhibited internationally in US, Canada and across Europe and Asia.

Be sure to come explore the installation of Gianfranco Meggiato’s work currently on display at Taglialatella Gallery! View the entire selection here.