Russian model Irina Shayk early May 2023 snapped a selfie before she broke “all the rules” at Met Gala. (Photo by irinashayk/Instagram)

Members of Chinese Shaolin Temple Warrior Monks perform martial arts during the “Cultures of China, Festival of Spring” Gala in Toronto, Canada, on February 27, 2016. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua/Sipa USA)

Michelle Rodriguez attends the European Premiere of “Widows” and opening night gala of the 62nd BFI London Film Festival on October 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by James Gourley/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Actress Riley Keough reacts to the cameras at the Baby2Baby 10-Year Gala in Los Angeles, California on November 13, 2021. (Photo by Action Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Russia's Kamila Valieva performs during the Exhibition Gala at the Rostelecom Cup 2021 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Sochi on November 28, 2021. (Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP Photo)

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the gala exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

American sculptor Michael Alfano has been sculpting for over fifteen years. A native of New York, he now lives and works in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. His major influences are Salvador Dali, Jo Davidson, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, as well as Buddhist, Taoist, Sufi and other eastern philosophy and literature. He first studied at the Art Students League of New York, with an emphasis on life-size sculpture from the model. His formal education continued at Boston University and was augmented by internships with several prominent sculptors.

Singer Katy Perry arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala 2015 celebrating the opening of “China: Through the Looking Glass” in Manhattan, New York May 4, 2015. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)