Matthew Del Grosso

Born in Boston in 1978, Matthew grew up in an artistically and mechanically skilled family, fueling his own art and technology interests. Matthew earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (Mass Art) in Boston, Massachusetts.

At Mass Art, Matthew’s coursework focused on metal working, wood working, and the use of found objects. Matthew's art often examines the value placed on objects, materials, and societal constructs. Influenced by his Roman Catholic upbringing, he often uses religious iconography as a lens to explore these concepts. 

Matthew first began a body of work at Mass Art creating ‘Reliquaries’, seeking to create a dialogue about how traditionally relics from human saints are enshrined for having lived and died while exemplifying religious ideals. By using found animal bones in these contemporary reliquaries, Matthew posed the possibility that the life of animals lived in harmony with the natural world might be just as worthy of veneration.

After graduating from Mass Art, Matthew earned a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from Harvard’s Extension School in Cambridge Massachusetts. His career in museums began in 2005 at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts and has held roles in a variety of departments including Registration, Collection Management, Conservation, and Preparation.

In 2015 he was hired at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM) in Boston, Massachusetts, in a new position as the Collection Care Associate, which took advantage of his broad experience.

Concurrently, in 2018, Matthew formed his studio and art handling business, Inherent Vice Studios, to provide art handling and collection care expertise to other museums and private clients.

In 2020, Matthew began to devote more time to his own creative processes by taking classes in ceramics, a medium he hadn't worked with, but always had interest in. He found ceramics to be very rewarding and full of potential. Matthew also began 3D modeling and printing to create components for his artwork, to customize his tools for art making, and to help with his work in museums. In July of 2024 he presented at PACCIN, a professional conference for museum professionals, on using 3D printing in the field.

In 2022 Matthew participated in the Mass Art Alumni retreat at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, where he was exposed to more ceramic techniques, and the process of turning raw plant fibers, like Thai kozo, into traditional paper.

In 2023 Matthew returned to the PEM as the Associate Preparator, working to install objects from the PEM’s holdings of over 1.4 million works of art, and works loaned to the PEM from institutions around the world for special exhibitions.