Lorenzo Quinn

by Viviana Puello

For more than twenty years, Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn’s work has illuminated and challenged almost every major metropolis between Beijing and New York City. Indeed, his monumental sculptures — most often incorporating the unique dexterity and empathy of human hands — dare their viewers to reflect more profoundly upon the universal. For example, in order to highlight the timeless concerns about aggression and war, he has unveiled a series of sculptures that depict pairs of children’s hands, including A Dangerous Game in 2017 in Miami, Florida.

Quinn has further addressed the dire necessity of resource conservation, as exemplified by two sculptures installed in Venice: Support in May 2017 in the Grand Canal facing Ca’ Sagredo and Stop Playing! in October 2018 at the military fortress, Forte Marghera. These all-encompassing ideals achieved a culmination of sorts in May 2019 with Building Bridges, an installation of six pairs of monumental hands entitled Faith, Friendship, Help, Hope, Love, and Wisdom.

Lorenzo Quinn was born in Rome to the Oscar Award-winning Mexican American actor Anthony Quinn and his wife, costume designer Iolanda Addolori. Quinn’s childhood was split between Italy and the United States. His father fostered his love for art as a child, and he followed that path into adulthood when he attended the American Academy of Fine Arts. It…