The Italian sculptor Giacomo Manzù (Bergamo, 1908 – Rome, 1991) was the son of a sexton and began as an apprentice to a woodcarver, where he made church sculptures. He then learned plastering from a plasterer and studied fine arts during his military service. His first commission was to decorate the university chapel in Milan in 1930. His big break came in 1953 with his first solo exhibition. He taught in Milan and Salzburg. His artistic examples were Donatello, Rodin and Rosso Fiorentino. He fits into the tradition of classical sculptors and can be mentioned in the same breath with deserving traditional sculptors of all times and received several awards.
