21st-Century Modern Marble Sculpture: Iconic Works and Artists

In the field of contemporary art, marble—an ancient medium—is experiencing an amazing revival. Sculptors no longer just chase classical ideals of beauty. They use masterful skills to push the physical limits of marble. This makes it look like skin, fabric, or even inflated plastic.

Here are five outstanding sculptors active in modern and contemporary times. They are famous for their marble creations:

JAGO (Jacopo Cardillo) — The “Modern Michelangelo”

JAGO, whose real name is Jacopo Cardillo, is a 31-year-old Italian artist (born in 1987, so around late 30s now). He often uses traditional religious themes. His specialty is hyper-realistic carving. He fully follows classical realistic techniques. Yet he adds deep contemporary thoughts about human nature.

Self-taught, he focuses on hyper-realistic modern sculpture. Under his tools, blocks of marble gain a soul. Whether human figures or animals, they look incredibly lifelike. Skin textures are clear. They seem ready to blink at any moment.

During his university years, his works were selected for the Venice Biennale. Later, he entered the mainstream contemporary art scene in the United States. He got a teaching position at a New York art university. Since age 25, JAGO has held many solo exhibitions.

Signature Works:

Veiled Child: This piece rests quietly in the ancient Church of Sansevero in Naples. The sleeping baby stands for rebirth. It pays homage to sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino’s masterpiece, The Veiled Christ.

Pietà: It flips the traditional image of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus. Instead, it shows a modern father figure full of tension.

Habemus Hominem: He first made a bust of Pope Benedict XVI. After the Pope resigned, JAGO boldly removed the outer clothing layer. This revealed thin, withered skin and ribs. It symbolizes a return to pure humanity.

Fabio Viale — Tattooed Marble

Born in 1975 in Cuneo, northwest Italy, Fabio Viale is a professional sculptor. He started marble art at age 16. His famous technique mixes contemporary pop culture—like gang tattoos—with classical sculpture. He not only carves marble. He also developed a special method. It lets ink deeply penetrate the stone.

Tattooed versions of Laocoön or David: He recreates famous classical works. Then he covers their “skin” with complex black patterns. This breaks the old idea that stone must stay “pure” and holy.

When asked why he sticks to marble, Fabio said: “I am fascinated by it. This material lets me create the shapes I imagine.”

Signature Works:

Famous classical bodies—like the arm of Michelangelo’s David or the armless Venus—are decorated with realistic tattoos. They become surprisingly contemporary “twisted” pieces.

Barry X Ball — Stone Carver in the Digital Age

This American artist combines 3D scanning, CNC machines, and hand polishing. His marble works are extremely precise, distorted, and surreal.

Barry X Ball (born 1955 in Pasadena, California) is known for blending advanced technology with traditional handcraft. He often draws from art history classics. He reinterprets them using digital scanning, 3D modeling, and CNC milling. He uses rare semi-precious stones like Belgian black marble, golden honeycomb calcite, and Iranian onyx. This gives unique textures and light effects.

Signature Works:

Envy: Inspired by classical busts. But digital design makes the face look melted or stretched—in a sick, beautiful way.

Sleeping Hermaphrodite: A reworking of the famous Louvre piece. It shows very complex surface details.

Håkon Anton Fagerås — Soft Stone

This Norwegian artist captures the “softest” side of marble. His works show fragile, everyday moments—like crumpled pillows or loose skin.

Signature Works:

Down: A series of ultra-realistic marble pillows. The hard stone contrasts sharply with the fluffy pillow feel. Even the sewing thread details are visible.

Human portrait series: He focuses on real elderly bodies or folded skin. This gives Cold Stone a warm sense of life.

Kevin Francis Gray — Veiled Aesthetics

This Irish artist’s works balance fine carving with rough, raw stone. They often carry mysterious, melancholic religious tones.

Signature Works:

Veiled Works: He follows the 18th-century “veiled” sculpture challenge. He makes marble look like very thin, semi-transparent fabric draped over faces.

Ballerina: It mixes highly polished minimal surfaces with rough, raw stone bases. This explores modern loneliness.

Ghost Girl: A lonely girl with a pearl-covered head and a skull motif, in a gothic style.

Summary

These artists share a key point. They do not abandon marble as an “outdated” material. Instead, they modernize it in these ways:

Cross-technology: Combine 3D printing and digital modeling.

Texture mismatch: Make hard stone look like plastic, paper, or human flesh.

Concept contrast: Bring street culture, tattoos, and modern identity crises into classical forms.

Barry X Ball stone sculpture

As a historic marble carving factory with a long tradition, we deeply pursue artistic excellence in this timeless material. If you have any needs for custom artistic marble sculptures—whether inspired by these contemporary masters or your own vision—feel free to contact us. We would be happy to provide more information and discuss how we can bring your ideas to life in marble.