Yolanda Bello is a doll artist whose work is highly regarded by collectors for its exceptional realism, refined sculptural quality, and emotional depth. In her own words, her artistic goal is to achieve a “purity of expression,” where form, gesture, and mood merge into a unified and convincing presence.

“Baby Lisa” is a vintage porcelain baby doll from 1995, part of the “Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies” series created by Yolanda Bello for Ashton-Drake Galleries and Edwin M. Knowles.
It was released as a limited-edition collectible capturing “Perfect moments of childhood.”

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Bello was educated in several countries, including Venezuela, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. At the age of fourteen, she relocated permanently to the U.S., where her artistic career took shape. She later founded Bello Creations in Chicago, a company dedicated to producing her own dolls as well as works by other artists under contract.

“Baby Jessica” is a vintage porcelain baby doll from 1989, part of the “Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies” series created by Yolanda Bello for Ashton-Drake and Edwin M. Knowles.
It was released as a limited-edition collectible capturing “Perfect moments of childhood.”

Despite never receiving formal academic training in art, Bello earned widespread recognition. Her drawings, paintings, figurines, and dolls have received numerous regional and national awards, and one of her early paintings is held in a museum collection in Paris. Within the doll world, she is particularly known for her DOTY (Doll of the Year) awards, including Jessie (1985, Doll Design Concept), Larissa designed for Robins Woods (1986), and Autumn, which received the Dolls Magazine Award of Excellence in 1987. That same year, Heather from the Picture Perfect Babies collection for Ashton Drake was voted Doll of the Year by the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers.

“Sailor Matthew” is a vintage porcelain baby doll from the late 1980s, part of the “Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies” series created by Yolanda Bello for Ashton‑Drake and Edwin M. Knowles.
It was released as a limited-edition collectible capturing “Perfect moments of childhood.”

Bello began sculpting figurines in the late 1970s, initially as a hobby that gradually evolved into a professional practice. From the outset, her work was distinguished by a strong commitment to lifelike realism, uncommon in children’s, collectible, or even artist dolls of the period. All of her dolls are original sculptures, completed with custom-designed clothing and accessories created specifically for each figure. Her subject matter ranges from babies and angels to child portraits and stylized French mimes.

“Sailor Amanda” is a vintage porcelain baby doll from the late 1980s, part of the “Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies” series created by Yolanda Bello for Ashton-Drake and Edwin M. Knowles.
It was released as a limited-edition collectible capturing “Perfect moments of childhood.”

Yolanda Bello became especially well known for her realistic child sculptures. She initially produced small limited editions with high collector value before being commissioned by companies such as Ashton Drake and Knowles, where her designs were adapted for large-scale production. She is widely regarded as one of the pioneering figures in the development of the artist doll movement in the late twentieth century.

Between 1985 and 1991, Yolanda Bello created a collectible series of porcelain baby dolls, “Picture Perfect Babies,” for Ashton-Drake Galleries and Edwin M. Knowles. The limited edition, certified editions, and now revered vintage rarities, captured “perfect moments of childhood”—from Matthew/Amanda the Sailors to Sarah with a Teddy Bear.

“Baby Jennifer” is a vintage porcelain and cloth baby doll from the late 1980s or early 1990s, part of the “Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies” series created by Yolanda Bello for Ashton-Drake and Edwin M. Knowles.
It was released as a limited-edition collectible capturing “Perfect moments of childhood.”

“Sarah With Teddy Bear” is a vintage porcelain baby doll from 1987, part of the “Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies” series created by Yolanda Bello for Ashton-Drake and Edwin M. Knowles.
It was released as a limited-edition collectible capturing “Perfect moments of childhood.”

“Le Balloon Rouge” by Yolanda Bello

Inspired by a French story of a boy and his red balloon, the figure evokes childhood anticipation and nostalgia. Dressed in early twentieth-century attire, a pinstriped velvet jacket, knickers, cap, white batiste shirt, satin tie, and black leather shoes, the doll is completed with a red balloon. A softly pouting expression and delicate freckles highlight Bello’s early mastery of lifelike sculptural storytelling.

Le Balloon Rouge is a porcelain doll created in 1990 during the early period of Yolanda Bello’s Chicago studio practice. Produced as a trade show prototype for the planned The Children series (intended edition of 250), the doll was never released due to a drilling error in the hand, making this a unique one-of-a-kind 14-inch prototype.

In addition to her artistic career, Bello is a certified Lay Missionary of Charity (LMC), a Creighton Model System Instructor, and a Billings Instructor. She accepts commissioned work across a wide range of media, including murals, reliefs, bronze, fiberglass, plaster, and resin sculpture, as well as monochrome drawing and watercolor. Her guiding principle remains constant: to create art that moves the heart and inspires the spirit.