Background
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 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 studied at the Hugh Christie School in Tonbridge. On graduation, he found work designing hotel interiors but continued a part-time course in sculpture at Chelsea Art College (where his parents had studied).
The family moved to Tonbridge in the early 1970s, where he still lives. He left school at 16 to study at Medway College of Artist 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.
In the late 1970s, he found employment at the British Broadcasting Corporation’s special effects department, working on sets for Doctor Who and Blake"s 7. His father, of Maltese ancestry, had success as a cameraman and film-maker, and died in 1974, when Guy was only 17.
Portelli’s own son died aged only 13. Portelli began sculpting at age 17.
His work is found in public and corporate collections in Britain and the United States of America. 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 2008, Portelli gaining £80,000 from three investors of the television programme Dragons" Den, convincing them that modern art is a viable and realistic investment. This centred upon his “People’s Icons” collection, 18 pieces exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London.
This instantly raised his public profile.
