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Jean-François Gambino
Born in Paris in 1966, Jean-François Gambino is a sculptor with a spectacular bestiary, whose spontaneous execution vividly captures the energy of the wild world. Today, his animal bronzes captivate audiences of all kinds and are among the most coveted in the French art market.

Oeuvres

Works

Obras

Tête d'aigle

Renard

Vol de nuit

L'affût

Tête de lion des montagnes

Portrait de Caracal

Nage en eau trouble

Portrait de chat

Tigre

2020

Orang outan

Faucon

Manchots

Dos rond

Chat Baillant

Gibraltar

Manchots

La souris

Chat Baillant

Qui vive

Puma

Paradis perdu

Tête de jeune orang outan

Biographie

Biography

Biografía

Jean-François Gambino is a sculptor with a spectacular menagerie, whose spontaneous execution vividly captures the energy of the wild world. Today, his animal bronzes captivate audiences of all kinds and are among the most coveted in the French art market. Born in Paris in 1966, of Franco-Sicilian origin, Jean-François Gambino is a self-taught sculptor who discovered his innate talent for sculpture later in life.

 

Initially drawn to the world of music, young Jean-François enrolled in a musicology program at the Sorbonne. After completing this initial academic path, he chose to change directions and worked for over ten years in the after-sales service of the renowned Cartier jewelry on Rue de la Paix in Paris.

During this period, he developed a fascination for animal sculpture, having encountered it in the field of jewelry. Wanting to try his hand at it, in 1997, he decided to train in clay modeling with sculptor Chantal Adam. In her workshop in Neuilly-sur-Marne, he also became acquainted with the technique of patina using natural pigments.

 

As this new means of expression gradually occupied all his free time, six years later (in 2003), he decided to dedicate himself entirely to his artistic practice by changing his professional direction. Now a sculptor, he focused on animal representations, a universe he considers exceptionally rich in forms.

 

Initially drawn to African wildlife, Jean-François Gambino gradually developed a spectacular menagerie, also featuring numerous European animals.

In order to faithfully convey the energy of the wild world, Jean-François Gambino studied the primary characteristic attributes of its inhabitants, as well as their transient behaviors: survival instinct, stealth, predation, and reproduction.

This research allowed him to develop a unique technique for creating his clay sculptures: deliberately spontaneous and quick, it appears closer to raw sketching than realism. However, this approach enables him to capture their profound nature with great accuracy.

 

Once cast in bronze, the lines are enhanced by subtle matte patinas that catch the light and strengthen the contrasts.

Today, Jean-François Gambino demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship, perfectly translating the unique, subdued approach of large felines or the startle and bristling of a surprised domestic cat.

Internationally recognized, the sculptor has also collaborated with high jewelry houses: he created a solid gold lion for Chanel and a silver grizzly bear for Christofle.

 

In 2007, he won the Edouard and Marcel Sandoz Foundation Prize (Switzerland). Then in 2020, “Paradis Perdu” received the gold medal for animal sculpture (European Wildlife Artist of the Year award). Depicting a polar bear swimming in icy seas, the sculpture gives the impression that the imposing animal is dissolving upon contact with the water, swimming from one melted ice floe to another, highlighting the vulnerability of the species and the gradual disappearance of its habitat.

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