Artist
Daniele Fortuna
Italian, b. 1981
DANIELE FORTUNA Daniele Fortuna was born in Milan, Italy, in 1981.
Biography
Daniele Fortuna
DANIELE FORTUNA Daniele Fortuna was born in Milan, Italy, in 1981. After graduating from the European Institute of Design in Milan and spending several years in Ireland studying art, he returned to Italy and established his studio in Piacenza. Deeply influenced by Italy’s artistic heritage, Fortuna reimagines the imagery of the past through a distinctly contemporary language. Inspired by artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Aligi Sassu, and Lucio Fontana, he extracts familiar forms and references from art history, gives them a third dimension, and, as he describes it, “contaminates” them with contemporary color. His sculptures bridge classical tradition and Pop Art, transforming historical imagery into vibrant three-dimensional works. Each sculpture is meticulously constructed from individually cut and painted pieces of wood, assembled layer by layer like a complex jigsaw puzzle. Through this distinctive process, Fortuna brings the past into the present, reimagining antiquity in color.
Gallery Archive
Artworks
Photographs from the gallery archive of work Aldo Castillo Gallery has shown. They are not part of the catalogue and are not offered for sale on this site. Please contact the gallery for current information about any of them. Contact the gallery.
Daniele Fortuna, Mickey, 2022, Wood, 50H x 30W x 30W In. 
Daniele Fortuna, Venus de Milo, 2022, Wood, 64H x 20W x 20W in. 
Daniele Fortuna, Girl with a Pearl Earring, 2023, Wood, 27.5H x 17D x 26 1/4W In. Side View SOLD 
Daniele Fortuna, Aphrodite Venus, 2021, Painted Wood, 81 ½ H x 47 ¼ W x 29 ¾ D In. SOLD 
Daniele Fortuna, Venus Love I, 2020, Plexiglass and Mirror, 50 cm × 50 cm, 20 × 20 in 
Daniele Fortuna, Monalisa, 2023, Wood, 27.5H x 19 3/4 W x 17 3/4D x 20W In. 
Daniele Fortuna, Nymph, 2022, Wood, 58H x 30W x 30W in. 
DANIELE FORTUNA Golden Boy, 2021, Acrylic on Wood, 23 cm × 40 cm 10 × 16 in. 
Daniele Fortuna, Venus Shades, 2021, Mixed Media on Wood, 35 cm × 60 cm, 14 × 24 in. 
Daniele Fortuna, Imagine All the People, Wood and Acrylic Paint, 27.5 27.5 x 2.5 In. SOLD 
Daniele Fortuna, All Together on the Wall, Wood and Acrylic Painting, 70W x 29H x 12D In.
In the studio
Inside the Daniele Fortuna Lab
Ninety seconds in the studio: layers drawn, cut and stacked by hand, then filled, painted and gilded.
Courtesy of Daniele Fortuna Lab
About this film
No narration. The film moves through the studio: layers of wood drawn and cut on the bench, stacked into a block, filled and primed, painted in gradients and stripes, finished in gold, then the finished busts and figures.
In the artist’s words
Statement
I have always believed that it is important to recognize the "truth" in messages that come from the past and I want to reaffirm and update these messages through a new visual language.
Available through the gallery
Works by Daniele Fortuna
6 works
Daniele Fortuna
Nymph
2022, Painted Wood, 58 × 30 × 30 in
$28,000
With a note from Aldo
Daniele Fortuna
Monalisa
2023, Painted Wood, 27 1/2 × 20 × 17 in
$18,500
With a note from Aldo
Daniele Fortuna
Mickey
2022, Painted Wood, 50 × 30 × 30 in
$18,500
With a note from Aldo
Daniele Fortuna
La Grande Odalisque, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
2025, Painted Wood, 23 × 48 × 19 in
$18,000
With a note from Aldo
Daniele Fortuna
Bust with Flowers
2023, Painted Wood, 28 × 21 × 14 in
$12,500
With a note from Aldo
Daniele Fortuna
Aphrodite Venus
2021, Painted Wood, 81 1/2 × 47 1/4 × 29 3/4 in
$26,000
Daniele Fortuna
Classical Sculptures Were Never White!
Visit the virtual exhibition
For The Record
Curriculum vitae
Education
1
- European Institute of Design, Milan, Italy
Art Fairs
2
- 2024Art Miami, with Aldo Castillo Gallery
- Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary, with Aldo Castillo Gallery
Further Notes
1
- Works shown by the gallery include Venus Love I (2020, plexiglass and mirror), Golden Boy (2021, acrylic on wood), Venus Shades (2021, mixed media on wood), Aphrodite Venus (2021, painted wood), Mickey (2022), Nymph (2022), Venus de Milo (2022), Monalisa (2023), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2023), Bust with Flowers (2023, cut wood, hand painted), La Grande Odalisque, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (2025, painted wood), Imagine All the People and All Together on the Wall (wood and acrylic paint)