Tampa Steel & Supply is excited to announce that we are working with internationally-known artist Donald Gialanella and The Dali Museum on a one-of-a-kind sculpture. The sculpture, which will be installed at the Dali Museum on November 21, was designed and crafted by Gialanella in his St. Petersburg studio using materials from Tampa Steel & Supply. While the sculpture will remain a secret until its unveiling, we can tell you it gives a nod to artist Salvador Dali.
The Artist’s Process
When approached by the Dali Museum to commission a sculpture, Gialanella reached out to Tampa Steel & Supply for materials. Using quarter-inch Corten weathering steel from our Tampa location, our team used a process known as water jetting to cut the steel before delivering it to Gialanella’s studio. If you’re unfamiliar, water jetting is an amazingly precise method that uses 65,000 psi of water pressure to cut through steel and other materials. By combining intense water pressure and garnet, this technology allows us to cut steel with incredible integrity and accuracy.
About Donald Gialanella
Donald Gialanella is a St. Petersburg-based sculptor, known for his prolific and wide-ranging scope of work. Gialanella earned his BFA in sculpture from The Cooper Union in 1979 and studied among the likes of Hans Haacke, Vito Acconci, Kenneth Snelson, and Milton Glaser, before apprenticing with influential artist, Louise Bourgeois. Following his apprenticeship, Gialanella worked as a graphics producer at ABC-TV in New York, where he received an Emmy for his work on Monday Night Football.
After working for 10 years in networks graphics, Gialanella left ABC to become an independent artist. He taught art and design at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey where he lived until he began teaching and sculpting out of his New York studio in 1995. By combining the repousse technique and traditional Blacksmithing, Gialanella developed a direct process to create steel sculpture.
Now, Gialanella calls St. Petersburg home. His work is exhibited in public spaces, museums, galleries and private collections worldwide and collectors include the likes of Angelina Jolie, Jimmy Buffett, and Howard Stern.
Learn More at Tampa Steel & Supply
Think you know what the sculpture is? Check back with us here and on our Facebook page for more information (and hints) on the big reveal — or check out the installation for yourself on November 21 during regular business hours at the Dali Museum. And if you’re in need of steel supplies for a project of your own, contact us today or visit our beautiful Tampa showroom.
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Or Call Tampa Steel & Supply at (813) 241-2801