[1] Paolo Abbate was born in Villarosa on the Italian island of Sicily.
He studied under Domenico Trentacoste, director of the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze.
[2] Abbate was a missionary for seven years for the American Missionary Association in Pittsfield, Massachusetts[3] before moving to Torrington, Connecticut in 1928 where he established the Sul Monte Art Association, which sponsored exhibitions of the work of local artists.
[5] Abbate was a Realist sculptor who worked with bronze and marble.
[6] He served as the president of the International Fine Arts League and was a member of numerous professional organizations such as the National Sculpture Society, Kent Art Association and the Connecticut Artists & Writers Society.