Many events will take place during the holiday season in Montelupo. We’ll stick to the ones regarding pottery, but you can still have a full picture of what is going on in the area through the contact list at the end of the post.
Highlights
Medieval pottery from Orvieto – Italy
November 8 – January 10, 2010
Perugia – Italy
A very unusual art exhibition has opened in Perugia, that focuses on the birth of the movement of cultural property protection at the beginning of the 20th century against the massive acquisitions made by foreign Italian art collectors.
Art works, vintage pictures, original editions of books and documents tell the visitors the story of art collecting in the Western world and the effort of the Italian lawmakers in protecting our national heritage.
The symbol of the event is a 50 piece collection of Medieval ceramics made in Orvieto that was scattered across the world. For the first time in more than one hundred years they are under the same roof, the one of Palazzo Baldeschi in Perugia, Umbria.
Pottery Exhibition in Deruta – “Sins”
November 21 -29
Deruta – Italy
The Seven Deadly Sins are the subject of a very interesting – and short – pottery exhibition that is about to open in Deruta.
The theme is fascinating, indeed, and so is the idea to explore it from different points of view.
The central event will be the exhibition of ceramic works made by Attilio Quintili, Patrizio Chiucchiù and Daniele Buschi, who are the founders of the art movement “The Ceramixti”.
Around their art works, experts in theology, ethics, psychology, art history and philosophy will offer their own interpretation of the Capital Vices. The program is enhanced by the final concert held by Fakhraddin Gafarov, a famous tar player from Azerbaijan.
Sins
Chiesa di Sant’Antonio
Piazza Benincasa
Deruta
Opening Hours: 10 am to 1 p.m. – 3 to 7 pm
Ph: 0039 075 972121
Artist Wine Jugs for Nouveau Wine
The practice of releasing the nouveau wine in November – a huge marketing event – is commonly associated with France, where on the third Thursday of the month the Beaujolais Nouveau is first sold.
However, if you google “nouveau wine” you’ll find out that the development of “primeur” wines is a tradition in many other wine-producing countries.
In Italy St. Martin’s Day marks the beginning of the new wine tasting. Many festivals are held that celebrate the maturation of the year’s wine, under the spell of the old saying “A San Martino ogni mosto e’ vino”. Continue reading
A short history of pottery from Civita Castellana
We were recently challenged by a Customer who was looking for some handmade tiles for her backsplash. She wanted figurative and geometric tiles to form a panel, but they had to be tiles with a history (!).
We thought the matter over and contacted the artists of a studio in Civita Castellana that is renowned for tiles. I had actually purchased the tiles for MY backsplash from them not long ago and both Manuela and I love the quality and look of their products.
To make a long story short they sent us their catalog and we are about to ship to this lucky lady exactly what she was looking for.
Victoria & Albert Ceramics Galleries are open!
A major redevelopment of V&A Ceramics Galleries has been under way since 2005, with the ambitious objective to “create the most important national and international centre for the enjoyment, understanding and study of ceramics and a collection that is unrivalled anywhere in the world”, as reported by V&A’s website.
The galleries are located on the top floor of the museum, where a beautiful domed ceiling hosts an astounding site-specific installation made by the London-based ceramicist Edmund de Waal. Entitled ‘Signs and Wonders’, the art work consists of some 300 porcelain vessels on a ‘floating’ red shelf encircling the dome.
Too long a pause
We beg your pardon for our looooong absence from our Journal.
Working on thatsArte.com development has absorbed more time than we ever thought possible!
Now, we definitely need to find a better formula to manage our time. It’s just Manuela and I, though. And since it’s not in our plans to hire someone or to copy and paste articles from other Internet sites, I guess we’ll have to cope with writing less regularly while keeping up with the quality job we’ve tried to do so far.
We do hope in your understanding and, why not, in your help!
If you have in mind a special subject related to Italian pottery you’d like read about in our Journal or a story, an experience, an article you’d like to share with us, please, send us a message at info@thatsarte.com or a comment on the Journal.
One thing will never change, though: we’ll always be happy to share with our readers our passion!
The Sudden Joy of a Close Encounter with Vietri Pottery Art
A week ago. Amalfi at night. Rough weather. Yet, the place was crowded for a media award. In the attempt to escape the pressure of the onlookers we sneaked into a narrow side street.
In the middle of the path I noticed a shop sign: La Caravella – Enoteca & Ceramiche. I had decided to forget about finding some special pottery piece in the area. I’d had enough of souvenir shops or ultra expensive art galleries. However I was stirred by the combination of wine and pottery and decided to give it a try.
A few seconds and my heart leaped with joy. I was surrounded by art pottery pieces, whose style was entirely new to me. It was my first meeting with Vietri Art Ceramic.
After a long inspection at the content of the gallery – I did not pay too much attention to the wine, although I love it … – I engaged the shop assistant in a feverish talk about who the artists were and where they were from and whose idea it was to combine art & wine.
O’dino – Traces of Contemporary Design
June 27 – July 27, 2009
Spoleto – Italy
Fifty years ago there was no notion of designer goods, nor was the Italian Style such a big deal.
Then Dino Gavina, a cultural visionary and brilliant entrepreneur, put into mass production the designs for furniture made by Marcel Breuer, a member of the Bauhaus. For the first time the wider public had the chance to bring into their homes pieces that had been the exclusive privilege of a few people who could afford to purchase a unique handmade item, prized for the cachet of its designer’s name.
Deruta – The Magic of Ceramic Art 2009
June 26 – July 12, 2009
Sept 12 – 20, 2009
Deruta – Italy
The second edition of Deruta Ceramic Festival is about to start. The program is attractive, not only for Italian pottery lovers, but for anyone who enjoys live shows and art in general.
The events will take place on Fridays through Sundays. Here is a selection:
ONGOING EVENTS: every Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Anyone willing to create his own ceramic masterpiece can join Deruta potters at the Open Ceramic Lab. From wheel throwing to freehand painting, visitors will experience the making of pottery and bring home their own solid ceramic pieces. The Lab is downtown in Piazza dei Consoli and is open from 11 am to 8 pm
Stands displaying Deruta artists’ works will be open all day in the main street of the old district
Exhibition of the 36 Italian Ceramic Towns Association (AICC) at Grazia’s Old Factory