On March 22, 2019, Frank Gallo, a master sculptor, papermaker, and artistic provocateur, died by suicide at his home in Urbana, Illinois.  He left behind his first wife, two grown children, four grandchildren, and a body of artwork spanning more than five decades.  Upon Gallo's death, his son Joseph Gallo assumed control over his estate, including an invaluable trove of original art, art-making supplies and equipment, personal papers, and professional records.  At that time, Joseph began pondering how best to understand and frame the legacy of his father:  a world-renown artist and educator--with works in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art--who glorified the female form versus a man whose ego and infidelities tested the limits of family.  

In August 2024, with the assistance of family and close friends, Joseph began the difficult task of inventorying the existing remnants of his father's personal and professional life via material stored in a 4,000 square foot out building on his family property in Urbana, Illinois.  Over the next year, the team:  1) identified over 200 original drawings and sculptures, 2) sorted and processed over 25,000 pages of textual records, photographs, and publications, and 3) viewed hundreds of slides and Super 8 videos capturing Frank Gallo, the artist, businessman, and father.  During this process, Joseph and company shared laughter, tears, wonder, and awe over the accomplishments and lost possibilities that were Frank's life; ultimately, these discoveries, both artistic and familial, simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking, serve as his legacy.   

We present this website as a means to honor and elaborate upon the closing refrain of his obituary as penned by Joseph's wife, Stephanie Howard-Gallo:  

"Frank’s family will remember him for his generosity, his unique sense of humor, and his brazen personality.  He was loved by many.  His larger than life persona and his contributions to the art world will be missed by friends, family, and students."

Frank Gallo was born in Toledo, Ohio, on January 13, 1933, the youngest of four children whose father was a Sicilian immigrant, shoe repairman, and inventor.  The 1940 Census (below) introduced the world to his immediate family:  Joseph (head of household, age 46);  Pauline (wife, age 35); Samuel (son, age 14); Betty Jane (daughter, age 12); William (son, age 9); Franklin (son, age 7).  Joseph, the "shoemaker" who "owns his own store" shared the neighborhood with a mail carrier, a beauty store operator, a receiving clerk, an assistant electrician, a stenographer, a street cleaner, and a switchboard operator.

Frank Gallo stated that he had "the fortunate temperament not to be overly influenced by my public schooling."  As a child, he lived a short distance from the Toledo Museum of Art, which become a retreat from the world of his father's shoe shop.  During his frequent trips to the museum, Gallo absorbed "the detailed environment of classical statuary into my subconscious, receiving some direct instruction in drawing, painting, and sculpture, from the Museum's Saturday morning classes."  

Reflecting upon the influence of his father's craftmanship and ingenuity upon his art during his formative years, Gallo stated:

"I think of my work as a natural extension of the kind of craftsmanship l witnessed as a child growing up in Toledo, Ohio.  My father Joseph, a Sicilian immigrant, was an exceptionally skilled shoe repairman and inventor -- a master at figuring out how to develop the right technique to solve a baffling problem.  In a sense this is my own special talent -- the inspired use of a tool and the development of a technique to accomplish some feat that has eluded others."

The accompanying piece, Shoes, hangs in a special place of prominence in Joseph Gallo's home, a constant reminder of his family's artistic and immigrant roots.