Frank Gallo was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1933. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, in 1959.

He is the acknowledged leader in the art of cast paper sculpture. His works are magnificent expressions of his lifelong career as a "modeler" who conceptualizes his imagery in sculpturesque terms which are first modeled in clay, and then executed as bas-relief or freestanding sculptures.

In 1968, he participated in the Venice Biennale and in 1972, received the "Cover of the Year" award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts for his sculpture depicting Raquel Welch for Time magazine.