Romani Cosci

Romano Cosci studied painting (under Ferruccio Vezzoni) and sculpture (under Leonidas Parma) in Pietrasanta, not far from the famous marble quarries of Carrara. As both a painter and a sculptor, he always remained committed to the Old Masters and found his life's work in sacred art. Numerous of his frescoes adorn churches throughout Italy.

Even more significant, however, are his sculptural works in marble and bronze. His statues adorn churches in many Italian cities; recent works include a portrait of Blessed Bartolo Longo in Pompeii (2000) and a bronze door depicting the eight martyred priests of Versilia (2001). His major work (a large marble portrait of Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei), was placed in a niche in St. Peter's Basilica in 2005 after two years of work. Cosci's sacred art, with its realism, consciously integrates into the church space and tradition.
But even his sculptural works without any connection to the church testify to his great respect for the great sculptural tradition of his homeland.