Federico Castelluccio: The ‘Sopranos’ actor who became a millionaire selling art
The Sopranos is regularly cited as the greatest show of all time for a multitude of reasons. From the mesmerising cinematography to the masterful writing, The Sopranos got almost everything right, but its biggest strength was undoubtedly the power of its cast.
Naturally, James Gandolfini received the most praise for his nuanced rendition of Tony Soprano, a psychopathic mob boss who tries to work through his issues in therapy. In addition to Gandolfini, other cast members – especially Edie Falco – have also garnered widespread critical acclaim for their fantastic work.
One stellar actor who’s definitely not mentioned enough in conversations about The Sopranos is Federico Castelluccio, whose performance as Tony’s feared enforcer Furio was flawless. Not only is Castelluccio one of the standout stars of The Sopranos, but he’s also a highly successful art dealer who hit the big time.
In an interview with West 46th Mag, Castelluccio declared: “I’m a painter. Before anything else. I’m a visual artist”. While he was in Germany, he accidentally ended up in an auction house where he found a 17th-century masterpiece by Guercino that beautifully depicted the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.
Castelluccio explained: “So my girlfriend and I walked into what I thought was an antique shop, but it was an auction house, and on the landing leading up to the second floor, there were paintings stacked against each other along the wall. On the way back down, I pulled away a few paintings and saw what I believed to be a major work of art by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, also known as Il Guercino. So, right away, I put the paintings back, and Yvonne looked at me strangely. I tried to be quiet because the manager was at the bottom of the stairs.”
The painting had been mistakenly identified as an 18th-century work, but Castelluccio was convinced he had found a treasure. After conducting his own research, he went back to place his bid. Castelluccio added: “I flew back to Germany, and I never said a word to the auction house or the person that was dealing with me. I just showed up that morning, and when I won the painting, there were about seventy people bidding on it, and it came down, very quickly, to myself.”
According to The Sopranos star, he acquired the painting for an approximate sum of $68,000. When all the additional costs are taken into account, including the shipping fees, the restoration charges and other add-ons, the entire process cost him about $140,000. Lucky for him, the painting was later valued at $10 million.
