Paddy Campbell Sculptor

"I make my sculptures to stir the heart" - "Scolpisco per far vibrare il cuore"

Paddy Campbell

Biography

Paddy Campbell was born in Dublin in 1942. From early childhood, his great interest was in the art of drawing and painting, but he realised how difficult it would be to make a living from art in those difficult times.

 

Instead, he started a venture in Catering and Coffee, which went on to become a very successful business.

However, art continued to attract him so much so that later in life he began to spend most of his time in Florence where, in 1996, he began to study renaissance painting.

In the year 2,000 Paddy Campbell discovered that his true gift was for sculpture. He spent the next three years in Florence studying and learning these techniques. Following this he embarked on his life as a sculptor at his studio at Via Luna in Florence, where he still works.

His bronze and marble sculptures have been exhibited particularly in the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin, the Royal Ulster Academy in Belfast, as well as other venues throughout Ireland and Italy.

“Di Cuore” (From the Heart), exhibition, took place in Palazzo Medicci Riccardi, Florence, in the Summer of 2013, and attracted more than 50,000 visitors. The 4.5 metre bronze sculpture “Wind and Water”, which was the centrepiece of that exhibition, was acquired by University College Dublin, and is now situated on the University Campus in Belfield, Dublin.

His 6 metres high Rugby Sculpture entitled “The Day that Changed Ireland” was commissioned and installed in the main concourse of Shannon Airport, Ireland, in 2015.

 

 His latest exhibition “Il Dolce Rumore Della Vita” (The Sweet Noise of Life) takes place in the Piazza del Duomo, Pietrasanta, Italy, from March to June 2018.  

 

 

Biografia

 

Paddy Campbell nasce a Dublino nel 1942. Sin dall’infanzia i suoi interessi si rivolgono alle arti del disegno e della pittura, ma ben presto realizza quanto oggi sia difficile vivere solo della propria arte.

 

Si rivolge dunque altrove, iniziando un’attività di catering e ristorazione che successivamente ottiene un importante successo.

L’arte continua comunque ad attrarlo così tanto che più avanti negli anni Paddy Campbell inizia a trascorrere molto tempo a Firenze, dove nel 1995 comincia a studiare la pittura rinascimentale.

Nel 2000 Paddy Campbell scopre di essere particolarmente dotato per la scultura. Passa dunque i successivi 3 anni a Firenze, studiando e apprendendo queste tecniche – per poi iniziare la sua vita da scultore nello studio fiorentino di Via Luna, dove tuttora lavora.

Le sue sculture in marmo e bronzo vengono esposte in particolare presso la Royal Hibernian Academy di Dublino, la Royal Ulster Academy in Belfast, così come in altre location sia in Irlanda che in Italia.

La mostra “Di Cuore” si svolge presso Palazzo Medici Riccardi a Firenze, nell’estate del 2013, e attira più di 50.000 visitatori. “Wind and Water”, la scultura bronzea alta 4,5 metri punto focale della mostra, viene acquisita dallo University College di Dublino e si trova tuttora nel campus universitario di Belfield a Dublino.

Nel 2015 gli viene commissionata “The Day that Changed Ireland”, una scultura alta 6 metri dedicata al rugby. Oggi si trova nell’atrio principale dell’aeroporto irlandese di Shannon.

 

La sua ultima mostra, “Il Dolce Rumore della Vita”, si svolgerà da Marzo a Giugno 2018 in Piazza del Duomo a Pietrasanta.