Brandon d’Leo is an established New York City artist and self-taught sculptor. He has been exhibiting his work for over 25 years, with shows in London, Melbourne, Spain, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City. He is best known for his steel sculptures which include freestanding pieces, wall-mounted reliefs, and suspended works.   

Born and raised in Long Island, NY, with his mother as a creative influence, Brandon and his family regularly visited New York City’s numerous museums and art galleries. This exposure to world-renowned artists and creative geniuses from an early age ignited Brandon’s fascination with the art world. Curious about the artists and their work, he immersed himself in their autobiographies and was greatly influenced by their stories of surviving life’s challenges to produce what became iconic works. By age 18, Brandon was making his own art. Fascinated with anything that was mechanical he would scavenge scrap yards for metal and spare parts, transforming them into functioning sculptures. Brandon began training in all fields of construction and fabrication, feeding his desire to understand assembly methods and how mechanical objects were made. He learned how to fabricate and manipulate any material that he could apply to his art, including steel, aluminum, concrete, rubber, and wood.

Brandon moved several times, living and studying in Florida, California and Colorado, while also spending extensive periods of time in Spain. His art evolved with each location and available material. When Brandon returned to New York in  2001, he was creating large-scale public works, including a multi-store commission by Bloomingdale’s. His massive installations can still be seen in Bloomingdale’s (San Diego, Costa Mesa, Santa Monica, Chestnut Hill, Chevy Chase, SoHo and 59th St. NYC locations). He has commissioned pieces in private collections around the world and his work has appeared in numerous design and style magazines such as ELLE, Modernism, DNR Magazine, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, InStyle, Men’s Vogue, GQ,  Men’s Health, Marin Magazine, and New York Magazine.  

In 2012, Brandon co-founded the Rockaway Beach Surf Club, a highly regarded and popular event space, bar, and restaurant located in Rockaway Beach, Queens. Brandon’s creativity, technique and aesthetic can be seen throughout the Rockaway Beach Surf Club. Nearly every piece of furniture, from the bar to the outdoor tables to the sliding steel and wood wall, was made by hand with materials salvaged from the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. A life-long surfer and passionate ambassador of surf culture, Brandon hosts festivals and curates exhibitions at the Surf Club that showcase the work of surfers and artists from around the world. Supporting the work of emerging artists is one of Brandon’s many passions.

Brandon currently resides in Rockaway Beach, managing the event space and continuing to produce sculptures for private clients.

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CONTACT 

You can reach Brandon at brandondleo@gmail.com