Born in 1948, Carlo Sirolla lives and works in Verona. Designer, painter, sculptor, and an internationally recognised artist of a reserved nature, he prefers to avoid public appearances, allowing his works to speak on his behalf. His creations are installed in cities across Italy and abroad: a sculpture inaugurated at the Italian Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia; works exhibited at the Castle of Wolfsberg in Austria; the Dar es Salaam monument in Tanzania; and many pieces in Verona itself, including Il Domatore (The Tamer) at the entrance of Porta Teodorico at the fairgrounds, now located at the Centro Cavallo in Sommacampagna; Berto Barbaran in Piazzale Pozza in San Zeno; “Il Ragazzo con il Flauto” (The Boy with the Flute) in Lugagnano di Sona; the statue of Pope John Paul II in Rome, realised through the Biondan foundries; “Donna Renza” in Villafranca; and four statues at Villa Nogarola Castle in Castel d’Azzano, positioned beneath the three arches of the central façade.
A self-made artist, Sirolla has built his career on training, perseverance, and tenacity. From a young age, he modelled and painted objects of all kinds, only later attending art school. He then embarked on a successful career in advertising, contributing to the Pop Art movement in Italy. Gifted with both swiftness and skill, “happiness is the artist’s state of mind, and speed his modus operandi”, he has always considered art part of his very being: “Art is in my blood, it is in my DNA.” From his father, a fresco painter, he learned the fundamentals of painting; from his mother, a soprano and muse, he inherited a refined aesthetic sensibility and attention to beauty and detail. Carrying this rich heritage in his heart, the Maestro continues to draw inspiration from the classical world to the contemporary avant-garde, with nods to Expressionism and Surrealism, inventing new forms of artistic communication. He describes himself as “a fiery spirit at peace”, most content in the “paradisiacal” solitude of his studio, awaiting the next creative spark. His journey into sculpture began almost by chance, when he picked up a piece of Swiss pine and sketched upon it, discovering the pleasure of sculpting. This led him to Domegliara, where he learned to work marble under the guidance of Stefano Pachera, a master artisan who became his mentor and patron after witnessing Sirolla’s ability to caricature his likeness in seconds. Wasting no time, Sirolla bought his first chisels and created his first two marble works: “Procreazione” (Procreation) and “Natura” (Nature).
Marble, however, was only the beginning. His constant drive for experimentation led him to work with malleable clay, produce sketches, and invent “mobile plaster”. By pouring liquid plaster into a mould, he would shape and decorate bas-reliefs — a process requiring speed and precision before the material set. His “hunger” for experimentation brought him into contact with sculptor Gino Bogoni, leading to months of observation, questioning, and learning new expressive techniques. His wide-ranging repertoire spans pen portraits, bronzes, bas-reliefs, marbles, and monumental murals. The marble Procreazione bears a unique feature: the face of God the Creator on one side, and the figure of woman — bearer of life — on the reverse. In Lusaka, where he lived for three months with his son, Sirolla designed a statue sponsored by the local bank to symbolise collaboration between Italy and Africa. The result was a monumental flame incorporating two bas-reliefs of Pope Francis and the President of Zambia on one side, and Saint Catherine of Siena, patron saint of Italy, alongside the African saint Josephine Bakhita on the other, all realized in cement and color within just five days. A celebrated figure, acclaimed by critics including Vittorio Sgarbi, Sirolla’s career has been closely documented for many years by curator and art historian Monica Saracino, now a lecturer in literature, who has compiled a comprehensive catalogue of his oeuvre, firmly placing the Maestro among artists of true international stature.
The artistic journey of Carlo Sirolla has been documented over the years by curator and art historian Monica Saracino, now a lecturer in literature, who has created a comprehensive catalogue of his oeuvre. Through her work, Maestro’s place among artists of international repute has been firmly established.
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