Ettore Marinelli (born in Agnone, Italy, 1991) is an Italian sculptor who blends artistic mastery, artisanal tradition, and a deep spiritual sensibility. He is the 27th-generation heir of the Pontifical Marinelli Bell Foundry, one of the oldest continuously operating family-run businesses in the world. Raised among the fires and rhythms of the foundry, Marinelli inherited not only a craft but a symbolic language forged in bronze—a medium of memory, ritual, and transcendence.
He graduated with honors in Sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, and furthered his studies at Université Paris 8 in France. His artistic path weaves together ancestral techniques with contemporary vision, combining classical modeling with lost-wax casting and the use of materials such as clay, plaster, resin, bronze, and experimental ceramics.
Marinelli's works range from public monuments and religious sculptures to commemorative memorials and site-specific installations. Among his most recognized works is the monumental bronze sculpture “Il Bacio della Memoria” (“The Kiss of Memory”), located at the Port of Civitavecchia. Created in the wake of the pandemic, the piece pays homage to the pain of separation and the power of human resilience. This evocative composition has become a symbolic landmark for the city and an emotionally resonant tribute that speaks to universal themes of hope and remembrance.
Other notable projects include the life-size bronze Christ installed on Mount Sant’Onofrio in Agnone, the monument to Saint John Paul II in Civitavecchia, and a large bas-relief at the Cathedral of Ancona, depicting Saint Francis's historic departure for the Holy Land. In 2025, Marinelli will represent Italy at the Osaka World Expo, with a 500-kg bronze bell celebrating the event’s themes of innovation and heritage.
His works have been exhibited in major cultural centers across Italy and abroad, including Rome, Monte Carlo, New York, Paris, Venice, and Milan. In 2024, he won the prestigious MarteLive National Art Competition and was a featured artist at the “Oro by Ruffino” exhibition in Milan, where he unveiled a monumental sculpture of Dionysus in fiberglass.
Beyond his artistic production, Ettore is also an educator. He teaches sculpture and plastic arts at artistic high schools and has collaborated with the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples as an assistant professor in marble techniques. He also serves as the Director of the Historical Bell Museum “Giovanni Paolo II” in Agnone, where he educates visitors and students on the history and techniques of bronze casting.
Marinelli’s sculptural style has been described as “archaic and futuristic”—a unique fusion of ancient strength and contemporary elegance. Influenced by the worn beauty of classical Greek statues and marine archaeological finds, his figures often seem to emerge from both time and myth. His works carry the weight of collective memory, the gestures of devotion, and a poetic tension that transcends the visible form.
Combining centuries-old tradition with a distinctly modern voice, Ettore Marinelli continues to shape the landscape of contemporary Italian sculpture—transforming metal into meaning, and form into emotion.
