FRANCO CASTELLUCCIO

Art Brokerage: Born in 1955, it only takes one glance to see in the sculpture of Franco Castelluccio the work of a true master. An accountant by trade, Mr. Castelluccio was in his twenties before he touched his first piece of clay. His life was never the same. Having received no formal training, his inspiration seemed to spring from a newly awoken passion within. Today his works are sought after by art collectors from around the world. His work is in turn whimsical and romantic, turbulent and heroic. His sinewy and supple sculptures seem about to move at any moment. With the soul of a poet, Mr. Castelluccio takes many of his subjects from great works of literature and the most stirring stories of ancient Greek and Roman mythology and credits among his early influences Carpeaux, Bernini, and he says, "of course Michelangelo. Years spent at the art students league in NYC, creating anatomical drawings, provided me with the foundation necessary to have freedom to create the human figure from within," says Castelluccio of his early years as an artist. "To not be confined to what I can see in a model before me, but rather to have the command to create what I know . . . is the essence of a good sculptor."