About

“My earliest memories are of obsessively drawing figures from how-to art books.” 

This enduring childhood fascination with the human form remains the driving force behind my work, where the goal is not merely to replicate the subject but to transcend conventional portrayal.

My formal training began with an architectural degree, which established a permanent foundation in form, balance, and spatial relationships. On this foundation, a rigorous anatomical comprehension of the figure was built through diligent studies at

the Art Students League of New York and the New York Academy of Art.

Now, momentary observations are captured as tactile, "frozen" manifestations. I treat surface texture as a vital language of its own--an integral physical quality that dictates the work’s final impact.

Umberto is the recipient of the Trudy and Henry Gillette Sculpture Scholarship, the 

Nessa Cohen Grant for Sculpture, and a chashama Studio Residency. 

His work was also selected for W Magazine’s inaugural Art Contest.

He lives and works in New York City.