Original Works · First project

Bestiario Intimo

Soft skin, hard marble.
Five sculptures by Alberto Giannoni.

In progress · Solo exhibition in Pietrasanta, 2027

The idea

A bestiary for today

In the Middle Ages, bestiaries were books of moral lessons: every animal stood for a human condition. Bestiario Intimo takes that tradition and turns it toward the present.

Many young people today choose an animal to speak for them — an avatar, a mask, a second skin that says what is hard to say directly: too sensitive, too big, too angry to simply be themselves.

Five anthropomorphic figures in white Carrara marble, dressed in contemporary clothing, give that choice a monumental form.

Marble has always been reserved for heroes and the powerful.
Here, it is given to fragility.

Exhibition plan for Bestiario Intimo in the Sala delle Grasce, Pietrasanta: five marble animal sculptures by Alberto Giannoni
From the studio — work in progress

The craft

Tenderness from stone

Making something soft out of a material that is, by definition, hard takes hands that have known marble all their lives.

In Pietrasanta that knowledge is handed down from one generation to the next. In the Giannoni family, from Ulderigo to Alberto — and now into a body of work that is entirely his own.

The series

The five works

Each piece is revealed as it leaves the studio.

Il Bulldog Francese, marble French bulldog sculpture by Alberto Giannoni

Work I

Il Bulldog Francese

Now being carved

La Giraffa, design for a marble giraffe sculpture by Alberto Giannoni

Work II

La Giraffa

Coming in 2027

Il Chihuahua Punk, design for a marble chihuahua sculpture by Alberto Giannoni

Work III

Il Chihuahua Punk

Coming in 2027

Work IV

Il Maialino Rush

Coming in 2027

L'Elefantina, design for a marble elephant sculpture by Alberto Giannoni

Work V

L'Elefantina

Coming in 2027

In the studio

From the block to the final polish

Follow the work as it takes shape, one stage at a time.

Drawing study for the marble French bulldog, Bestiario Intimo
Drawing-study
Modelling
Finishing the marble French bulldog, Bestiario Intimo
Finishing

2027

A solo exhibition in Pietrasanta

Dates and venue will be announced first to those who register their interest.

Stay close to the work

Register your interest

See new works as they are completed, receive a private preview of the exhibition, and enquire about availability.

Prefer to talk? Contact the atelier.