Author: Tiziana Manzetti

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Della Robbia: the Beginners of Italian Architectural Ceramic Art

February 21 – June 7, 2009
Arezzo – Italy

Italian Ceramics - Prudence by Andrea Della Robbia (ca. 1475) - Photo credits: The Metropolitan Museum of ArtA sumptuous exhibition in Arezzo, Tuscany, will celebrate the glory of Della Robbia family and it will put into a new perspective the relationship between the Renaissance Majolica and the “major” arts.

More than 150 Ceramic Art Works from the most important Museums of the world will be on view beginning February 21st at the National Art Museum and additional 180 large pieces will be the key attractions of 5 especially designed itineraries along the Valdarno, Valdichiana and Valtiberina valleys and the Casentino mountains.

For the very first time, Della Robbia’s ceramics will be side by side – in open dialogue, as stated by the curators – with contemporary sculptures, paintings, architectural works and decorative art pieces, such as glass, majolica, porcelain, marble and wood mosaics, prints, etc.

This unusual setting will highlight the innovative content of Della Robbia’s works while delighting the visitors with the poetic genius of Renaissance artists: Donatello, Ghiberti, Andrea del Verrocchio, Rossellino, Pisanello, Filippo Lippi, Pollaiolo, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi, Leonardo, Fra’ Bartolomeo, Domenico Veneziano, Fra’ Carnevale, Sansovino.

Keep reading our Articles for more info on the works and lives of Della Robbia family.

Museo Statale d’Arte Medievale e Moderna
Via S. Lorentino, 8
Arezzo
Open every day from 9 am to 7 pm
Ph. 800 90 44 47 (toll free) or 0039 049 2010067

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Italian Ceramics celebrate Valentine’s Day

Save the date!!!
On February 14th the Museum of Ceramics in Deruta and Montelupo celebrate Lovers and the timeless (and inspired!) connection of Art and Love.

If Deruta is your choice, the rendez-vous is at 4 pm downtown, at the Regional Museum of Ceramics, ready for “Dulce est Amare”, a guided tour to the collection of Renaissance Love Cups that won this tiny village huge fame in the world.

The Love Cups – coppe amatorie, often decorated with beautiful women’s profiles, hearts, joined hands, were awesome Italian majolica wedding gifts very popular among wealthy families. The bride and the groom would  both drink from their customized cup on their wedding day and the groom would offer “confetti” (sugar coated almonds) from the Love Cup or Love Dish to all the guests.

If you’re more into Tuscan pottery, the Museum of Ceramics in Montelupo will welcome you with a “buy one ticket get one free” promotion and a sweet chocolate gift from 10 am to 6 pm.

Enjoy!

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New Clays – Languages of the Young Italian Art Pottery

Dec. 19, 2008 – Jan. 30, 2009
Baronissi – Italy

An extraordinary exhibition Italian Ceramics - New Clays Exhibition in Baronissi (Salerno)has just been opened at the FRAC Baronissi – Regional Fund of Contemporary Art – that will feature the works of a new generation of artists who’ve chosen clay to express their Art.

Born in the Seventies and the Eighties, they represent what’s new in the technical and visual language of Italian ceramics. A unique initiative, indeed, since it builds on the differing Italian traditions – Deruta, Savona, Padova, Vietri, Faenza, Lucca, Urbino and Salerno among the others  – and techniques, which include a number of experiments with contemporary images and materials.

In his introduction to the event the director of the FRAC Baronissi says that the exhibition features a carefully selected sample of the languages and the practices used in modern Italian ceramic art. These languages preserve the lively cells of the valuable Italian heritage while participating in the contemporary art experiences and blending clay with other materials and creative processes. Italian pottery is therefore a language among other languages, all of them having in common imagination, creativity and a contemporary spirit.

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Italian Clay Art: Brunelleschi’s Madonna first time on exhibit

Dec. 15, 2008 – Feb. 28, 2009
Firenze – Italy
Italian Ceramics - Madonna di Fiesole - Photo credits: www.corriere.itAn adorable clay sculpture of the Madonna with Child recently attributed to Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) will be on exhibit for the first time through Feb. 28th, 2009 in the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence.

The terracotta bust portraits a young woman with downcast eyes, deep in thought. She gently holds her baby, who leans on her shoulder with profound trust and intimacy, interlocking his legs with her arms.

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Sicilian pottery – Nativity Scenes from Caltagirone

Caltagirone was Caltagirone Ceramics: Nativity scene - Photo credits: Presepi di Caltagirone - artisti e figurinai nella tradizione calatina - Arnaldo Lombardi Editorefounded as early as the 2nd century B.C. on a steep hill made of clay. The abundance and the good quality of the raw material encouraged the making of pottery and its trade.

First the Romans, then the Greeks, the Arabs, the Spanish and the Normans dominated the city, bringing in their traditional designs and techniques which merged into a unique ceramic production and one of the most distinctive Sicilian pottery traditions.

The Nativity figures were certainly part of the local production already during the Middle Age, as reported in many documents, although no actual example has ever been found due to the terrible earthquake that destroyed the city in 1693.

However, it can be argued that no proper artistic production took place before the 18th century. At this time the more talented potters started to make hand modeled freestanding figures that represented not only the key characters in the Nativity crib, but also the local characters in their daily tasks: the cheese maker, the hunter, the shepherd and so on.

The Real world became part of the Sacred world, carrying into the Nativity Scene the ever changing social scenario, the attitude of people, their everyday clothes and even their common gestures.

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Traditions and Contaminations: Pottery Workshop in Urbania

January
Palazzo Ducale, Urbania

“Traditions and contaminations”Italian Ceramics - Urbania: Traditions and Contaminations is a multi sensory event that will combine the Art of Pottery Making, Food and Music in Urbania.

Better known among Italian pottery lovers as Casteldurante, the town was one of the most important production areas of the “istoriato” ceramics during the Renaissance, together with Gubbio, Pesaro and Urbino. The majolicas made in Casteldurante in the 16th century still are among the most treasured preys to pottery collectors’ and museums’.

The event challenges the technical and aesthetic tradition of the local potters and mix and matches it with creative stimuli originating from Japanese pottery techniques, food tasting and good music.

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An Italian Ceramic Artist: Alfredo Santarelli

Oct. 25, 2008 – February 28, 2009
Gualdo Tadino, Italy

Alfredo SantarelliItalian ceramics - Porta del Morto (The deceased's door) by Alfredo Santarelli - Photo credits: www.gualdo.tadino.it is one of the most important Italian Ceramic Artists of the 20th century. His talent in drawing and his mastery in the tin glazing technique (lusterware) won him a large number of golden medals in International and Italian ceramic exhibitions. His excellent portraits and classic subjects are prized collectors’ items but he also interpreted Islamic, Liberty and Art Deco designs and shapes with great originality.

The curators of the exhibition, Prof. Enzo Storelli and Prof. Mario Becchetti, have selected for this very special event the best works made by Santarelli, ranging from his “historical” pottery to the modern 20th century pieces.

Santarelli was very much intrigued by the Visual Arts of the Past. The pieces he owes his fame to were inspired by Egyptian, Etruscan, Classic, Gothic, Hispano-Moresque, Renaissance, Neoclassic and Pre-Raphaelite models. They stand out in the modern Ceramic Art for their remarkably elegant execution and creativity, their philological exactitude and the sumptuous iridescence of their ruby and golden lustre.

In the second half of the 20’s his art evolved in line with the contemporary trends. His Art Deco and Liberty pieces are a tribute to Santarelli’s talented versatility.

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Deruta Pottery Art Sundays

October 19, 2008 – January 4, 2009
Deruta – Regional Museum of Ceramics

Deruta ceramics - Art SundaysEvery Sunday at 3.30pm, the Museum of Ceramics will offer guided thematic trails designed to provide the visitor with an overview of the scope and richness of Deruta ceramic traditions and the city historical heritage.

On November 23 a special tour will celebrate the patron saint of Deruta potters: Saint Catherine.

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Silvio Vigliaturo Ceramic Works

Already Italian ceramics - work by Silvio Vigliaturofamous for his colorful glassworks, Silvio Vigliaturo has recently made his début in clay shaping with a solo exhibition at the Castellamonte Ceramic Festival.

His collection of large sized sculptures – up to 2.5 meters – had a highly emotional content.
As written by Vittorio Sacco in his presentation of the event, Vigliaturo has taken on him the task of developing a contemporary language for one of the oldest traditions in the history of the human civilization.

An objective to be proud of. The Italian ceramic artistic tradition, so rich and rooted in our heritage, badly needs to be revitalized and re-launched both in Italy and abroad.

All the pictures published in this article are kindly provided by the Museum of Contemporary Art “Silvio Vigliaturo”, in Acri – Calabria.

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Gubbio honors Alan Caiger-Smith

Sept. 6, 2008 – January 11, 2009
Gubbio, Italy

AlanGubbio honors Alan Caiger-Smith Caiger-Smith ranks among the most important British ceramicists of the past half-century, definitely the most important living artist specializing in lustre pottery. His work is known in a number of museums, in Europe, USA and Australia.

Gubbio is the home of the Italian lustreware thanks to the undisputed fame of Mastro Giorgio Andreoli, who settled here in 1498 and elaborated a lustre technique that was to become the Italian standard of excellence for Renaissance pottery and the times to come.

Gubbio and Alan Caiger-Smith’s paths crossed for the first time in 2005 when the British artist was invited to an international conference.
As reported by Ettore Sannipoli, the curator of the exhibition about to start, Caiger-Smith had a positive sharing of experiences with the local potters. Giampietro Rampini, one of the best Gubbio potters, invited him to his workshop and the two of them worked together on some lusterware techniques.

The exhibition “Gubbio honors Alan Caiger-Smith” will feature 25 works from his last kiln firing in 2006 and some 30 pieces representing his artistic evolution. Continue reading →