For The Love of Sculpture with The Pneuma Art Foundation

Lucy: Hello, Sculpture Vultures! Thank you for joining me for this New Year’s episode. Today, I have the privilege of interviewing Brett Colbert, one of the founders of the PNEUMA Art Foundation. Brett is a true Renaissance man, and the PNEUMA Foundation is based in Florence—a perfect setting for such an enterprise. I’ll let him describe the foundation in his own words, but in essence, PNEUMA helps artists and sculptors with professional development as they build their careers. I think you’re going to love this episode.

I began our conversation by asking Brett, “What is the PNEUMA Art Foundation?”

Brett: Thanks for having me, Lucy. It’s a pleasure to be here. PNEUMA was born after my wife, Olivia, and I got married in Rome. Interestingly, on our very first date, we spoke about Bernini’s sculpture of St. Teresa in Ecstasy. I had spent seven years in the seminary before coming to medical school and starting my PhD, so art had always been deeply meaningful to me. During those years, I spent two years studying the humanities, and Olivia had studied art history as a minor alongside her biology degree. She’s also in science and doing her PhD. So, we both shared this connection to art.

On our first date, she mentioned her art history background, and I asked, “Who’s your favourite artist?” I expected an answer like Monet or Picasso—great artists, of course, but fairly common choices. Instead, she said her favourite era was the Baroque, and she loved Bernini. That’s when we really connected, talking about his work, especially the St. Teresa in Ecstasy.

Fast forward a few years, and when it came time to decide where we wanted to get married, we thought, Let’s find that church with the sculpture. We knew it was in Rome, and we wanted to figure out how we could get married there. So, we went months ahead to arrange it, and that’s when we met Father Angelo Campana, the Carmelite priest in charge of the church. He was incredibly welcoming, gave us a tour of the church when it was empty, and let us stand there with only the light shining down on the statue. It was a very emotional moment for the three of us.

After sorting out some paperwork, Father Angelo said, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” He took us to a back room of the convent filled with art—master copies, original works, sketches. Sitting in the corner was an artist named Amir, from Iran. Father Angelo explained that he’d met Amir sketching the statue one day and struck up a conversation. Amir said he’d moved to Rome to study classical art techniques and wanted to use them to tell the stories of Iranian culture. Inspired by Amir’s dedication, Father Angelo offered him a studio space in the convent, just steps away from Bernini’s sculpture.

Meeting Amir was transformative for us. We started supporting him in small ways, and from there, the idea for PNEUMA grew. Now, the foundation supports other early-career artists, whether they’re young or starting later in life, to help bridge that critical gap between student or emerging artist and established professional. We provide resources, support, and connections to help them make that leap. That’s the role PNEUMA plays.

Lucy: That’s incredible! I love how your story blends science, art, and classical inspiration. It’s an unusual combination, but it clearly fuels something special.

Brett: How does it all come together? Honestly, one of my mottos is: whenever presented with an opportunity, just say yes and figure out the details later. You don’t have to have all the answers right away.

I know I’ve skimmed over a lot, but here’s a bit about my background. I was born and raised in Miami, where I’m back living now after spending a lot of time away. I spent seven years in the seminary, as I mentioned earlier, in New Hampshire and Connecticut, and also some time in Spain. During that time, I became very ill with Lyme disease, a bacterial infection. I had to step away from the seminary to recover, and that was my first significant exposure to medicine.

I began to see how the skills I was learning in the seminary—human skills like empathy, listening, and being present for someone in their time of need—were directly applicable to being a good doctor. The intellectual challenges of medicine also appealed to me. I didn’t leave the seminary immediately; I went back and spent more time reflecting, including a period in Spain. Eventually, I decided to transition out of direct religious life and into medicine, where I could use those same skills to treat people with empathy and care.

When I began studying biology as an undergraduate, I worked in a lab focusing on bacterial research. My professor, Dr. Kalei Mathi—an incredible mentor who also supports Malaysian artists and musicians—encouraged me to consider a combined medical and research program. It’s an eight-year program here in the U.S., and when I interviewed for it, people kept asking if I was sure about the commitment. But after spending 12 years in the seminary, eight years seemed manageable.

The program has been incredible. I’ve had opportunities to work in biotech, running clinical trials and helping to bring new, evidence-based therapies to patients. At one point, I was involved in a trial spanning 70 sites across the country. That work taught me how to solve problems, adapt, and collaborate effectively—skills that Olivia and I now bring to PNEUMA.

While we’re not professional artists, we deeply appreciate the work artists do. We’ve been given the opportunity to help in small but meaningful ways, and we bring our problem-solving mentality to the table. PNEUMA’s mission is to support artists who work in the techniques or draw inspiration from the Baroque, Classical, and Renaissance masters. We aim to keep those skills alive while making them relevant to today’s audience.

Lucy: That’s an impressive and broad spectrum of initiatives you’re tackling. Supporting people on such an individual level sounds challenging, especially since one size definitely doesn’t fit all. How do you approach that?

Brett: You’re absolutely right—every artist’s journey is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Where many projects fall short is in trying to do too much too quickly. I’ve learned over the years that the best way to make a lasting impact is to take a sustainable, focused approach.

We focus on a few key initiatives and do them well before expanding. More importantly, we maintain a personal focus on individuals. It’s not just about broad ideas or concepts; it’s about real names, real people, and figuring out how we can help them today.

How can I ensure that people feel comfortable approaching me with their needs? That’s a big part of what I’ve had to learn. I know I can’t always fix every problem or provide every solution, but if we collaborate person-to-person, we can make progress together. That’s what drives our work at PNEUMA: two guiding principles—don’t spread yourself too thin, and always focus on the individual rather than just broad ideas.

Lucy: It seems like you’ve assembled an impressive group of academic and creative individuals for the foundation. Do you match artists with mentors based on their specific needs or interests to help them develop?

Brett: Yes, we have a core team overseeing operations and strategy, and we recently opened up artist memberships. We currently have about 60 members, many based in Florence, but also others around the world who are drawn to Florence’s rich artistic heritage.

When Olivia and I first visited Florence, we attended a drawing competition organised by some of the local artists. They worked from a live model, and at the end, the model judged their drawings and kept the artworks as payment. That night, Olivia even volunteered as the model since they didn’t have one lined up! It was amazing to see artists from various schools—or none at all—coming together to hone their craft, learn from one another, and collaborate.

That natural sense of community was inspiring, and it’s something we aim to foster and expand. While there’s already a strong artistic network in Florence, we want to help connect those who may not have direct access to it but still want to be inspired by or contribute to this style of art. We strive to build bridges and provide opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Lucy: Do you feel there’s a gap in this area? When I was studying in Italy—doing life drawing in Florence, for instance—there were plenty of programs for students, but I can’t recall anything aimed at advancing careers for artists beyond that stage. Do you think this is filling a void, or has something changed over time?

Brett: That’s a great question, and as an outsider, I’m still learning. I can’t say for certain what existed before, but there’s clearly a hunger for what we’re offering. From what I’ve seen, the existing communities tend to be somewhat insular. People stick with their own groups or schools, which is natural. What we’re encouraging is broader collaboration—bringing everyone together to create something even better.

For example, our first major exhibition, In the Light of Florence, curated by Luna Gordon this past September, featured 31 artists from all over Florence. These artists came from different schools, backgrounds, and some were even self-taught. The response was incredible—over 4,000 visitors came in just three days, and we had a very successful sale of works, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.

Brett: As a scientist and experimentalist, this project was an experiment for me. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, so we decided to put something out into the world and see how people responded to it. That way, we could learn what worked and what needed improvement. What we discovered is that there’s a huge appetite for community-driven events that bring together specific kinds of art and artists in a place like Florence, where that kind of art is still deeply appreciated.

The community aspect is incredibly powerful, particularly for early-career artists. Individually, it’s hard to find a voice, gain traction, or make meaningful connections. But when you’re part of a group—30 artists showing together, for instance—it creates strength in numbers. Social media amplifies that effect. Artists can tap into each other’s networks, so a friend visiting to see one artist’s work might discover and connect with many others. That kind of collaboration is something we’re leaning into heavily at PNEUMA.

Lucy: How are you using Florence’s remarkable sculpture and artistic heritage to help sculptors develop professionally?

Brett: Florence’s public sculpture is absolutely overwhelming in the best way. I’m from Miami, where we have some public art—like abstract cubes sitting on the grass—but it doesn’t demand attention the way Florence’s sculptures do. In Florence, public art is an integral part of daily life. You see it everywhere, and it naturally inspires the sculptors, painters, and artists involved in our projects.

One example of how we’re engaging with this heritage is our collaboration with Galleria Frilli, the creators of the replicas of Ghiberti’s famous Baptistery doors. Ghiberti’s doors, known as the Gates of Paradise, are iconic, and the originals are now preserved in a museum while the replicas stand in their place at the Baptistery.

We’ve partnered with Galleria Frilli to display replicas of the ten panels from those doors as part of an upcoming exhibit. We’ve also issued an open call for artists worldwide to reimagine the stories depicted in those panels. Artists can interpret them however they like—whether by replicating, taking direct inspiration, or modernising the themes to make them resonate with today’s audience. It’s an incredible opportunity to explore how classical stories can be made new and relevant for our times.

Lucy: That’s such a fantastic initiative. There’s always discussion about plagiarism and copying in the arts—whether it’s sculpture, music, writing, or fine art. It’s such an important subject, especially when it comes to protecting the originality of people’s work. But you’re also tapping into that grey area where inspiration leads to innovation. Without those links to existing works, many unique and groundbreaking creations might never come into existence.

I mean, when I think about my own fiction, nearly all my books were inspired by incredible sculptures. I took those sculptures and wrote stories about them. It’s a completely different medium—there’s no way the sculptor would feel threatened by my work—but without their work, I would never have come up with those stories. Their art was the seed that grew into something else entirely.

What comes to mind for me, particularly in relation to the Ghiberti doors, is a set of doors at a church in Bedfordshire—Bedford town, I believe. The sculptor who made them, Frederick Thrupp, was from the late 19th century. He created a set of doors that look remarkably similar to the Baptistry doors. His panels, however, tell the story of The Pilgrim’s Progress, which is, of course, John Bunyan’s book. Those panels are stunning, but the minute you look at those doors, you immediately think of the Baptistry. It’s only when you get up close that you realise the stories are different.

You could look at those and accuse him of ripping off the Baptistry doors, but it wasn’t like that—it was more of a homage, an ode to the original. He was so in awe of them, having seen them himself. I think there’s a real place for this kind of art feeding art. It’s so different from, say, the debates over three lines of lyrics being reused in a song.

Speaking of art feeding art, we’ve currently got a call open for submissions until January 13th. You can find the details on the website. Once the submission period closes, artists will have ten months—not 25 years, but ten months—to prepare their works for an exhibition we’re planning for next autumn.

Lucy: So with all the submissions, will they be narrowed down to a shortlist?

Yes, we’re planning to select 20 to 30 artists to create pieces inspired by the panels. This will ensure that there are at least two or three works surrounding each panel, communicating with them in some way. We want enough to create interest, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming. This way, visitors can take their time with each piece.

Any medium is welcome—painting, sculpture, or whatever people feel inspired to create.

Lucy: Tell me how the foundation works. Do people apply for a specific programme, or is it more about connecting people? Is it a membership system rather than programme-based?

Great question. At the moment, we have an artist membership programme, which you can find on the website. I believe it’s $35 or $37 a year. Membership makes you eligible to submit to the exhibitions we host, but we’re also expanding what membership offers and focusing on creating a community.

We’ve introduced group chats and forums for members to interact—both in-person meetups and digital ones. We’re also creating online tools and content, particularly around artistic techniques. For example, we’re currently working with an artist who spent a summer at the Prado rediscovering Ribera’s painting techniques. He’s sharing what he learned during that process so others can benefit.

We’ve also started initiatives to offer members discounts at art supply stores—both in-person in Florence and online. These are just some of the small initiatives we’ve launched in the last year since the foundation began.

We’re still learning, and we encourage members to talk to us about what they need. If someone has an idea and we can act on it, we’ll do our best to make it happen.

Lucy: Oh, I don’t know if you caught the episode a couple of weeks ago with Tanya Russell. She’s an incredible public sculptor of wildlife and also founded the Art Academy in London. It’s an amazing school of sculpture and has become a real pillar of the sculpture community.

She had a strong technical background—not the same as yours, but because her parents were both sculptors. She really felt there was a need for a different kind of art school—one focused on practical skills that could help people move forward. She couldn’t find that at the other art schools she visited.
And so she just decided to set one up herself—as you do. She really seems to have come from a similar sentiment to the one you have, that kind of “just make it happen” mindset.

Brett: Yes, and I think the beauty they’re creating at that school, as well as the beauty many of the artists we work with are creating, absolutely deserves to exist. It needs to exist. It’s such a shame that the traditional chasm between being a student and becoming a professional exists. If we can help bridge that gap, even for just a few people, to create more beauty, then we’ve done our job.

We want to meet people where they are, whatever their circumstances, but also use that as an opportunity to challenge them to think about what’s next. For example, after spending years in an academic environment perfecting sculptural portraits or busts with amazing likenesses, how do you take the next step in your career? Where are your interests leading you? And where is the market pointing you?

Our aim is to help people identify those next steps, make them practical and actionable, and connect them with mentors who’ve already taken those steps. That guidance can help make the process less daunting.

Lucy: It must be incredibly challenging to do all this while living thousands of miles away from Florence.

Brett: Yes, that’s very true. The six-hour time difference doesn’t help either. But, on the other hand, the hospital has me starting very early in the morning, so the time difference isn’t as much of an issue as it could be. Plus, I’ve realised that many artists tend to wake up quite late—they’re often more on American time anyway!

We’re fortunate to have an amazing team on the ground in Florence. For example, we have Miguel Martinez, our director of community relations. He’s lived in Florence for a long time, knows everyone in the city from his work as a translator, and is brilliant at setting up helpful meetings to get our projects moving forward.

Then there’s Andres, our director of operations, who’s an incredible organiser. He’s deeply committed to the project and has done a variety of jobs in Florence, including working as a model at many of the academies. He’s very familiar with the artists and how the art scene operates there.

And, of course, we have Luna Gordon. Having such a good team on the ground makes our work so much easier. We also try to visit as often as we can, both for professional reasons and personal ones.

Lucy: What a great excuse to go to Florence!

Brett: Exactly! It’s gotten me out of a few things here when I could say, “Oh, I’ve got to work in Florence.”

Lucy: Do you help artists secure studio space as well? That must be a big challenge, especially for sculptors working with large objects.

Brett: That’s a great question, and it’s the next step we’re working on. We do have a few advantages in that regard. Being well connected in Florence has been a big help.

Florence is an interesting place—it feels like two cities exist on top of each other. There’s “Florence,” which is the world of tourists and visitors, and then there’s “Firenze,” which is the world of the local Italian community. These families have lived there for centuries, and it’s truly their home.

You see the tension between the two worlds in things like the anti-tourism movements happening in many countries, including Florence. What we’re trying to do is ensure that these two worlds coexist and collaborate. We want to bring them together and create a sense of one city again.

Being connected locally helps us in our search for studio spaces. We’re also collaborating with the Carmelite priests from our wedding. They have spaces they no longer use due to dwindling numbers. We’re working on proposals to repurpose these old spaces to support the creation of beauty, much like they used to do in their churches and other sites across Italy.

So those are a few of the initiatives we’re working on. Like we mentioned, there’s this chasm between being a student and becoming a professional, and a big part of that is having the time and space to do your own work and find your own voice. If you’re working a job to pay your rent and your studio, you’re not spending enough time on your art.

If we can help by finding subsidised studio spaces, I think we can go a long way towards bridging that gap.

Lucy: The students coming to you—are most of them international? Are they facing issues with visas, or is that something they just have to sort out on their own?

Brett: Yes, we have a very international group involved with the foundation, as well as many local Florentines and other Italians. You can see that from our first exhibition.

For those facing visa issues, unfortunately, that’s currently something they need to manage themselves. But we’re exploring ways to offer support once we have a physical presence in Florence. For example, someone came to us with a visa issue, and while we couldn’t help at the time, it got us thinking: this is clearly a problem for many people—how can we address it? We haven’t solved it yet, but it’s definitely on our list.

Lucy: What about language barriers? With so many international students, you must have a mix of languages. How do you handle that?

Brett: As much as possible, we try to be bilingual in Italian and English. For instance, most of the work around our first exhibition was done in English.

Recently, however, we held a large event at the Church of San Paolino in Florence, one of the Carmelite churches. Most of the attendees were from the local community, so the event was held in Italian. For those who didn’t speak Italian fluently, we had translators set up at the back.

We’re also working to bridge the divide between “Florence” and “Firenze,” as we’ve discussed. One of our next initiatives is to offer Italian courses for artists who come to Florence. I think it’s important—if not to become fluent, then at least to become conversational in the language of the place you want to call home and draw inspiration from.

This idea actually came from someone who approached us needing help with language. So, again, we’re trying to address that need.

Lucy: That’s brilliant. It reminds me of when I was a student in Rome. The college placed me in a flat with other students who had spare rooms. I ended up living with a group of medical students in the Polyclinico district. No one spoke any English, and everyone was busy with their own courses. I was just another student, really.

After three months of living there, I became pretty fluent in Italian. I learned more in that time than in all the years I spent learning French at school! It was such a cheap arrangement, too—long before Airbnb. It helped the students pay their rent and helped me learn the language. Although I did pick up quite a few curses along the way!

Brett: That’s a fantastic idea! Definitely something for us to think about.

Lucy: One thing I’ve noticed in the UK is a trend towards being creative about geography. For example, in London, there are now lots of places referred to as “London” that aren’t what you’d traditionally imagine—nowhere near Buckingham Palace, for instance.

Some of these areas are technically London but could take over two hours to reach from one side of the city to the other. Then there are universities with “London campuses” that are nowhere near London. Newcastle University has a London campus, which is about 400 miles from Newcastle! I imagine that must be so confusing for international students.

But it seems to work very well. People appear to understand it and get a clear message. Maybe people aren’t so wedded to the idea of needing to be in these traditional hubs anymore. You know, thinking that London is just Buckingham Palace or Florence is just that one square with the Duomo and nothing else.

Maybe there’s a greater understanding now that placing artist studios right in the central zone would be completely unfeasible. It’d be like living in a museum or something, because that part of Florence isn’t really the real world.

Brett: That’s a great observation. I think you’re right. Even though we still have international borders, time zones, and time differences, we can create communities on a broader scale.

Of course, nothing will ever fully replace in-person interaction. But if we can use the wider digital world to create virtual communities that supplement what’s lost when face-to-face interaction isn’t possible, that can go a long way.

Lucy: Brett, tell everyone how they can find out more about the foundation, about you, and what goes on week to week at PNEUMA.

Brett: Of course, thank you. The best way would be to follow us on Instagram—our handle is PNEUMA Foundation. That’s PNEUMA with a P, P-N-E-U-M-A Foundation.

We also have our website, thepneuma.org, where you can find all the information about what we do, who we are, and the opportunities we offer. It includes details about our upcoming exhibit in collaboration with Galleria Frilli, centred on Ghiberti’s Doors of Paradise.

You can also sign up for our newsletter through the website. All of these are great ways to stay connected. And as I’ve mentioned before, we love hearing from people. We’re always looking to learn what people need and how we can support them.

Please don’t hesitate to email us or message us on Instagram—we really do want to hear from everyone about how we can help.

Lucy: Brilliant. I’ll make sure all those links are included in the show notes. I’m looking forward to keeping track of the Ghiberti Open Competition and hope to see lots of incredible artworks come out of that project. It sounds fantastic.

Brett: Thank you so much.

Lucy: Please support the show this year by recommending it to someone you know. Word of mouth is fantastic. You could also share your favourite episode on social media—there are plenty to choose from now!

It’s a free and fantastic way to help the show grow and bring more people into our tribe. All that’s left is for me to wish you a Happy New Year!

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