Guido Dettoni della Grazia

Guido Dettoni della Grazia’s artistic beginnings date back to the late 1950s. He began working with both painting and sculpture but later gravitated more toward sculpting. He has worked with various media including, but not limited to, stained glass, metal, marble, and stone. Perhaps one of the most revolutionary concepts that he brought to the art world is the “Handsmatter” creative process, which he pioneered in the 1970s.

​

The handheld sculpture comforts the beholder as it effortlessly moulds to the hand. The iconic figure represents Mary, the mother of Jesus of the Gospel, Maryam of Sura 19 of the Quran, Shakti of Hinduism, Kwan Yin of Chinese Buddhism, evoking the imagery of many cultures of the world.

 

It has been installed in thirty venues among Cathedrals, Churches, Universities, and Art Centres throughout Europe and Asia. MARIA has been a permanent exhibition since 2002 in Assisi, 2015 in Prague and Singapore since 2017 and more recently in Lampedusa and Florence.

 

With our hands, we manifest our feelings and emotions and can shape within us the surrounding reality, also because we are touching it and, at the same time, we are touched by it. (Guido Dettoni — Thoughts on art).