What Artworks Foundry does

Artworks Foundry is a privately held fine art bronze foundry founded in 1976 by Italian-trained metallurgist Piero Mussi and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The company provides a full-service, project-based production platform for professional sculptors and institutional clients, spanning nine integrated service modules: Digital Fabrication, Enlargement, Lost-Wax Casting, Engineering, Fabrication, Finishing, Patina, Installation, and Restoration. Its offering covers the complete lifecycle of a bronze sculpture, from 3D scanning and rapid prototyping through monument-scale installation and ongoing conservation. Work ranges from miniature to monumental, including large public commissions such as Mario Chiodo's 31-foot "Remember Them" monument (2013) and the Mars One MARS-1 sculpture.

The foundry's production combines the traditional lost-wax casting technique — molds coated in wax, ceramic-shelled, and fired to 1,700°F before molten bronze is poured — with modern digital fabrication tools including aerospace-grade 3D optical scanning, CNC foam milling, and large-format FDM 3D printers (BigRep-One, Gigabot) using PLA, ABS, Nylon, PET-G, and NinjaFlex materials. It employs 11-50 staff, including practicing artists and welders with over a century of combined experience, and recently nearly doubled its footprint by opening a second production facility in Berkeley. Go-to-market is direct and relationship-led: clients visit the foundry for consultations and tours (Wednesday tours at $75 per group of 1-4, $15 per additional visitor), coordinate on-site with patineurs, and are offered living accommodations and studio space during project work. The company also arranges national and international installation logistics, including transportation and site safety.

Artworks Foundry generates revenue through professional-services, project-based fees for custom bronze casting, fabrication, finishing, patina, installation, and restoration work. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Its customer base spans individual professional sculptors (2,000+ artists served cumulatively over 40+ years, including named clients such as Ruth Asawa, Peter Voulkos, Nathan Oliveira, Bruce Beasley, Lawrence Argent, and Mario Chiodo) and institutional buyers such as museums, zoos (San Diego Zoo), and organizations (Mars One). Distribution is wholly direct — no resellers, dealers, or digital channels — and the company maintains a light organic presence through its website, Instagram, Facebook, and WordPress blog. The company operates as a private business with no disclosed funding rounds, external investors, or parent company.

Name

Artworks Foundry

Legal name

Artworks Foundry

Website

https://artworksfoundry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Artworks Foundry is a Berkeley, California-based fine art bronze foundry founded in 1976, serving professional sculptors and institutional clients with end-to-end sculpture production services — from 3D scanning and lost-wax casting through patina, installation, and restoration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Art Bronze Foundry Services

NAICS

Foundries (3315)

SIC

Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360)

akta.pro primary industry

Tool & Die Making (EDAOAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ceramic & Glass 3D Printing Services (IMAAADAC)

Keywords

• Fine art bronze casting
• Lost-wax foundry services
• Sculpture fabrication
• Bronze patina application
• Sculpture restoration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Bronze Casting and Fabrication Services: Full-service bronze foundry providing lost-wax casting, fabrication, finishing, patina, and installation services for artists and institutions. Revenue generated through project-based fees for custom sculpture production and restoration work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Artworks Foundry is a full-service fine art bronze foundry providing nine integrated service modules covering the sculpture lifecycle: Digital Fabrication (3D scanning, CAD/CAM, 3D printing, CNC machining), Enlargement, Lost-Wax Casting, Engineering, Fabrication (cutting/welding), Finishing, Patina, Installation, and Restoration. The foundry serves professional sculptors, artists, museums, zoos, and institutions, producing bronze sculptures and monuments ranging from miniature to monumental scale using a blend of traditional lost-wax techniques and modern digital fabrication technology.

Product overview

Artworks Foundry is a fine art bronze foundry providing a comprehensive suite of sculpture production and restoration services. Their offering consists of nine integrated service modules covering the full sculpture lifecycle: Digital Fabrication (3D scanning, CAD/CAM, 3D printing, CNC machining), Enlargement (scaling artwork from miniature to monumental), Lost-Wax Casting (traditional bronze casting at 1,700°F), Engineering (structural design), Fabrication (plasma/laser cutting, welding), Finishing (welding, sand-blasting, polishing), Patina (coloring and texturing via chemical oxidation), Installation (transportation and site setup), and Restoration (repair and conservation). The services are interconnected—Digital Fabrication feeds into Enlargement, which leads to Lost-Wax Casting, followed by Fabrication, Finishing, and Patina, with Engineering providing structural support throughout, and Installation and Restoration bookending project lifecycle. Founded in 1976, the company serves over 2,000 artists and operates from Berkeley, CA with a second production facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Fabrication CAD/CAM-based digital fabrication services for sculptors and artists, including 3D model optimization for FDM and SLA 3D printing, rapid prototyping, and CNC milling and machining. Uses large-format FDM printers including BigRep-One and Gigabot.
• Enlargement Sculpture enlargement and reduction services using 3D optical scanning and CNC foam carving. Includes aerospace-quality scanning, high-resolution file processing, CNC foam replication at desired scale, clay application for artist details, and reduction via 3D printing.
• Lost-Wax Casting Bronze casting using the lost-wax technique. Process includes mold making, wax replica casting, ceramic shell embedding, heating to 1,700°F to melt out wax, and pouring molten bronze into the cavity. Capable of reproducing artwork of any size and complexity.
• Engineering Structural engineering services for artwork longevity and safety, including internal structure design, welding, external support and mounting systems, and protection from climate, earthquakes, floods, and wind.
• Fabrication Advanced fabrication services including plasma and laser cutting, metal fitting, welding, and soldering, plus construction of sculpture bases and support structures. Team has over a century of combined welding experience.
• Finishing Metal finishing and welding services including reassembly of bronze components with artistic precision, sand-blasting, polishing to remove marks or defects, and preparation for patina application.
• Patina Patina application services offering hundreds of colors, patterns, and sculptural effects through chemical oxidation of bronze. Includes client consultation during application and protective wax coating.
• Installation Sculpture and architectural installation services including transportation logistics, paperwork handling, water pump and electrical system design, and site-specific safety consultation for national and international installations.
• Restoration Restoration, repair, and conservation services for bronze sculptures damaged by weather, time exposure, or other causes. Services include patina treatment, new casting of damaged parts, protective coating, and cleaning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 2,000 artists worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tallix: Fine art foundry offering bronze casting, digital fabrication, and 3D scanning services for sculptors. Closely comparable in its hybrid digital-plus-traditional production approach and sculptor customer segment.
• Modern Art Foundry: New York-based fine art bronze and aluminum foundry serving sculptors and institutions with casting, fabrication, and finishing services — a direct competitor for high-end sculpture commissions.
• Art Castings of Colorado: Colorado-based fine art bronze foundry offering lost-wax casting, fabrication, and patina services to professional sculptors — directly comparable in service mix and customer type.
• Walla Walla Foundry: Long-established fine art bronze foundry in Washington state that produces large-scale sculpture and monuments for professional artists, directly comparable to Artworks Foundry in process (lost-wax casting), service offering, and customer base.
• Pangolin Editions: UK fine art foundry producing bronze and other metal sculptures for leading contemporary artists, directly comparable in scale, service breadth, and high-end sculptor client base.
• National Bronze & Metals (NB&M): Texas-based bronze foundry specializing in lost-wax casting of fine art sculpture and monuments, directly competing for the same sculptor and institutional clients as Artworks Foundry.
• Bedi International Foundry: UK-based fine art foundry serving international sculptors with bronze casting and fabrication services — a direct competitor for cross-border sculpture commissions and large-scale public art.
• Lewis Art Foundry: Fine art bronze foundry offering traditional casting, fabrication, and restoration services to sculptors — comparable artisan-scale competitor with similar service offering.
• Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry: Merged entity combining Polich Art Works and Tallix, producing fine art bronze sculpture using lost-wax and digital fabrication for contemporary artists and institutions — directly comparable hybrid process and client base.

Regional players

• Strassacker Bronzekunst: Germany-based art foundry specializing in bronze sculpture production for artists, comparable in craft and process but serving primarily the European market rather than directly competing in the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/artworksfoundry
• Instagraminstagram.com/artworks_foundry
• Xx.com/artworksfoundry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artworks-foundry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artworks Foundry