Fiberglass is particularly indicated for outdoor display. We produce fiberglass statues of highest quality and at a very competitive price.
Fiberglass Sculptures
A statue made of fiberglass is a durable and long-lasting work of art that can be created in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs. Made from a mixture of fiberglass and resin, these statues are lightweight, weather resistant and easy to maintain. Thanks to these characteristics it makes them a popular choice for both, indoor and outdoor settings.
Fiberglass or Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) is the youngest material the Demetz Art Studio creates statues of. It was back in the year 1957 when Mr. Ivo Demetz saw – for the first time - some artistic works cast in fiberglass in London and the large doors of the Liverpool Cathedral made in fiberglass. Back home, he started testing this new medium with his staff. A few years later he decided to make fiberglass statues in his studio. That was revolutionary in Val Gardena, the home of woodcarving, and he had to face harsh criticism at the beginning.
Nowadays we own a one floor workshop with a surface of 1.500 sq m (16,600 sq ft) located in Ponte Gardena (BZ) in Italy, where our staff can produce fiberglass statues in any sizes.
Fiberglass statues in a monotone bronze, aluminum, terracotta or white marble finish are made using a special technique that lets them withstand the outdoor elements and makes them suitable for outdoor display, too.
Colored fiberglass statues, instead, cannot be guaranteed for outdoor use. They are hand painted with oil colors using the same traditional technique as with wood carvings. Any kind of colors applied to a fiberglass statue will fade when kept outdoors.
Fiberglass is an economical choice only in the case of repetition work, when a model and mold do already exist and more copies of the same piece get ordered. For custom orders a model and a mold must be made on purpose first, for that reason the price is much higher. Fiberglass, which technically speaking is called GFRP or glass-reinforced polyester, is a fairly new material. Its great advantage is that it can be installed outdoors, but only if ordered in a monotone finish such as bronze, aluminum, white marble or terracotta.
For the making of a fiberglass statue a 1:1 model is needed first. In a second step, a silicone mold of the model can be made. The model can be a standard figure such as the replica of the Pietà by Michelangelo you can see on the picture. Our studio was given permission to reproduce the original. We even own one of the full size plaster replicas of the original Pietà by Michelangelo which is exhibited at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.
