Guy Portelli

He was born in South Africa in 1957, but moved permanently to England with his parents in 1969, who had each come earlier to Britain to study as art students. He lived largely with his grandfather in Southend during the initial move. The family moved to Tonbridge in the early 1970s, where he still lives. He studied at the Hugh Christie School in Tonbridge. He left school at 16 to study at Medway College of Art. Originally studying interior design this changed to a focus on sculpture in his second year. Whilst at college he started his own business, designing theatre sets, employing around 20 people.

On graduation, he found work designing hotel interiors but continued a part-time course in sculpture at Chelsea Art College. In the late 1970s, he found employment at the BBC's special effects department, working on sets for Doctor Who and Blake's 7.

Portelli began sculpting at age 17. His work is found in public and corporate collections in Britain and the USA. Ringo Starr possesses several of his pieces.

Portelli is a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and Vice-President of the Royal Society of British Artists. In 2002, he won the Elisabeth Frink School Award, and the Scott Goodman Harris Award in 2003.

Dragons Den

In 2008, Portelli gained £80,000 from three investors of the TV programme Dragons' Den, convincing them that modern art is a viable and realistic investment. This centred upon his “Pop Icons" collection, 18 pieces exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London. This instantly raised his public profile.