Highlights

by

Riccardo Biavati – Art in the Garden 2009

Until October 30, 2009
Elba Island – Italy

Italian Ceramics - Horse with knight by Riccardo Biavati - Photo credits: Gulliver Art Gallery - Isola d'ElbaThe solo exhibition of Riccardo Biavati’s works will celebrate the 5th edition of Art in the Garden, a very original art event, indeed.

Biavati is one of the most poetic of Italian ceramic artists and the Elba Island is an ideal setting for his works. The natural and historical elements which are profusely to be found all over the island, the local tales and unique traditions are Biavati’s source of inspiration. His sculptures take from them their archaic symbols and speak the simple language of folks’ poems.

Continue reading →

by

2009 International Ceramic Festival in Montelupo – Tuscany

June 20-28, 2009
Montelupo – Italy

2009 International Ceramic Festival of Montelupo

Hard to believe… the 2009 edition of the International Ceramic Festival seems even more interesting than the 2008 one, when the Regional Museum of Ceramics had just been re-opened and the city blew the candles on the 25th birthday of its School of Ceramics.

This year the focus will be on modern ceramic art with the grand opening of the first department of the Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art and Nanni Valentini’s retrospective exhibition – separate articles will soon be published on these key events.

Together with Nanni Valentini, other established artists will be honored with solo or collective exhibitions. As an encouragement to the younger generations and their experimental vision of ceramic art, the municipality has sponsored the production of many installations made by young artists and placed all over the town.

Continue reading →

by

Novecento – Italian Ceramics. Volume 3: last decades

Italian Ceramics - Emanuela Gaudenzi book coverThe title of this book – 1900. Key artists and works of the 20th century. Vol.3: last decades –  says all we needed to spring to our feet and rush to the nearest bookshop, longing to own it.

Mind you: this is not an objective book review. How can it be? We LOVE books AND we have a PASSION for Italian pottery. And this is an excellent, though opinionated (impossible to do differently!), collection of the most interesting works made between the Eighties and the end of the century, thus offering a good perspective on the status of the art and a concise interpretation of its development.

Continue reading →

by

Casteldurante Pottery – Summer Classes

Italian Ceramics - Bucchero vase by Orazio Bindelli - Photo Credits: www.culturaceramica.itThis year the Ceramic Art Classes in Urbania are particularly good, thanks to the variety of interesting subjects and the potters and artists who will share their experiences with the attendees.

The Summer Programs are organized by the coop Casteldurante Cultura Ceramica, with the help of the Associazione Amici della Ceramica di Urbania.
Focusing on pottery as a form of visual art, the classes will cover a number of topics, from the bucchero technique to raku, from basic pottery making to elaborate drawing techniques.

Continue reading →

by

Art through Fire – Luca Schiavon in Todi

April 4 – Mid June, 2009
Todi – Italy

Italian Ceramics - Work by Luca Schiavon - Photo Credits: www.exibart.comNo words need to be spent on the beauty of Todi, an old town nested on a steep hill not far from Perugia,  in Umbria. These days, however, there is one more reason to plan a visit to Todi: a fascinating combination of art and good food, meant to provide enjoyment to all the senses.

The main characters of the experiment are a restaurant, hosting the exhibition “Art through Fire”, an art gallery organizing the event and the outstanding ceramic works by Luca Schiavon.

Continue reading →

by

Wishing hope and peace!

To all of our readers who celebrate Easter,
we wish you a truly wonderful break.Italian Pottery - Ceramics doves by Giacomo Alessi - Sicily

We also wish to send a message of hope and love
to all the people who are mourning their dearest one
and who lost their homes and belongings
in the recent earthquake in Abruzzo.
Our heart is there with them.

Manuela and Tiziana

by

We went to Della Robbia exhibition!


Tiziana getting in the right mood for the exhibtion...

We made it. It’s always complicated to get organized with husbands and children to go to art events. They are not in the least interested but … Manuela and I have a secret weapon: GOOD FOOD!

We discovered a couple of years ago a nice wine bar in Arezzo, with excellent food, home made local dishes with fresh ingredient from the area. You know, ribollita, white beans, finocchiona, pecorino … Suddenly no one had any objection to a Sunday off and we met in Arezzo, under a cloudy sky, excited to see so many Della Robbia works in a single place. Continue reading →

by

Ceramic Easter Eggs in Nove

April 5-19, 2009
Nove – Italy

Each year the Museum of Ceramics in Nove celebrates Easter with an exhibition of Ceramic Eggs made by Italian pottery artists.
There is no limit to the freedom of the artist in creating their egg-shaped works, and the results are often beyond expectations, as you can see from our short selection of pieces on display last year.

Italian Pottery - Ceramic egg by Mario Toli - Nove (VI) - Photo Credits: http://www.noveterradiceramica.ittalian Pottery - Ceramic eggs by Gianni Tosin - Bassano del Grappa (VI) - Photo Credits: http://www.noveterradiceramica.itItalian Pottery - Ceramic eggs by Giuseppe Facchinello - Nove (VI) - Photo Credits: http://www.noveterradiceramica.itItalian Pottery - Ceramic eggs by Beniamino Pigato - Nove (VI) - Photo Credits: http://www.noveterradiceramica.it
The exhibition will start next Sunday, in the Sala Fabris of the Museum and it’ll be open Sat/Sun and on holidays 10 am – 12.30 pm and 3.30 – 7.00 pm.

The egg is a worldwide symbol of the start of new life, rebirth and new beginnings.

Continue reading →

by

Nino Caruso donates 60 ceramic sculptures to Torgiano

Italian Ceramics - Sinulite by Nino CarusoOn March 13th a grand opening celebrated the permanent exhibition of 60 works by Nino Caruso, donated by the artist to the city of Torgiano (Umbria).

Caruso is Italy’s most renowned contemporary ceramic artist, internationally acclaimed both for his works and for his studies.

The collection is an ideal overview on his evolution as an artist since the Fifties, when he started to use traditional shapes – steles, columns, vases, oil lamps – as references for modern contemporary ceramic art.

In a very distinctive way, Nino Caruso breaks with Italian ceramic traditions while reflecting in his works a thorough understanding and appreciation of those traditions. Similarly, he embodies the European humanism while freely using forms and techniques from Japan such as haniwa and raku.

Continue reading →

by

Andrea Della Robbia and his successors

Italian Ceramics - Annunciation (detail) by Andrea della Robbia (ca. 1490), Staatliche Museum, Berlin - Photo credits: www.mostradellarobbia.itIn 1471 Luca della Robbia bequeathed his successful factory to his nephew Simone. He didn’t trust Andrea (1435-1525), whom he believed too concentrated on getting the highest revenue from the family business.

Actually, he was more or less right, if we consider that after his death Andrea massively increased the production of glazed terracotta. However the quality of the pieces did not suffer
much from it. At least in the beginning.

Andrea was a very good artist with a businessman approach to what he considered the family “company”: he increased the number of subjects so as to please both Catholic institutions and laical Customers who favored his glazed terra-cotta, that – if not cheaper than marble – was by far easier to ship and install.

Continue reading →