Standing 6’5” with a tousled silver mane, American painter and sculptor Lorenzo Ghiglieri resembles one of the massive lions he sculpts with unrivaled passion and precision. He is impressive not only in presence, but in the technical skill he wields that has made him one of the most legendary artists of our time.

Born to an Italian sculptor father and French artist mother, Lorenzo Ghiglieri grew up in a rich ethnic culture on the fringe of a Los Angeles ghetto. After receiving extensive formal training, Lorenzo took it upon himself to study the Old Masters, especially deriving influence from Rembrandt, Velazquez and Corot. At the age of 17 he was honored with a prestigious art scholarship, and by the age of 20, Lorenzo was working on national accounts. At 22, while serving in the U.S. Navy, he received his first commission from none other than the United States Government to paint what became a gift to Great Britain, for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

His search for meaning in his work led him from formal training into raw life experiences. Living the life of a lonely frontiersman, Lorenzo trekked across mountains and deserts, researching and documenting for his art. He fought his way out of Grizzly confrontations and the wilderness from which some men never escape. He lived the simple, rugged life with the Eskimos on the final frontier of Alaska. Out of the richness of these experiences he emerged, deeply engrained with the will to preserve, protect and prolong America’s western heritage. It is etched in every stroke of his paintings, molded in every one of his bronze sculptures. And it has not gone unnoticed.

Lorenzo’s work graces the walls of the most prestigious establishments in the world. His sculptures and paintings have been presented to Pope John Paul II at The Vatican in Rome, President Ronald Reagan at the White House, Mikhail Gorbachev of the Kremlin and King Juan Carlos of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Michael Jackson, Luciano Pavoratti and General Schwartzkopf are a few others who take pride in their ownership of a Lorenzo Ghiglieri sculpture.

In 1994, Lorenzo sculpted the “Official American Bald Eagle” in bronze, silver & gold, now on display at the White House and part of their permanent collection. More recently, he was commissioned to complete the Timeline of Liberty, a historical bronze piece documenting the forefathers of liberty from ancient Greece to modern times.

Every work adheres to his philosophy: It must be purposeful and meaningful, it must be positive and uplifting. As a result, his work is immensely valuable not only for what it is, but for what it stands for. It will endure, serving as a record of the past, a lesson for the present, and a hope for the future.