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.