ConCreta 2008 – International Exhibition of Ceramic Sculpture

March 16 – June 30, 1008
Certaldo, Palazzo Pretorio

Palazzo Pretorio in CertaldoThis is the Second Edition of a very successful exhibition, organized for the first time last year by the International Ceramic School La Meridiana and the Galleria Gulliver. It is held in Certaldo, a lovely town in Tuscany, not far from Florence and Siena.

The art works will be displayed in an outstanding location: the garden and the interior of Palazzo Pretorio, a very handsome building which could be in itself a reason for visiting Certaldo. The Palace is 1000 years old and it has been recently restored to its original condition. Its facade is richly decorated with ceramic coat of arms, two of them made by Della Robbia. In the interior there are beautiful frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli.

No better location could be chosen to highlight the close relationship between Ceramic Art and the Tuscany countryside, a timeless source of inspiration for ceramic artists.

The exhibition presents ceramic sculptures by renown International artists. In addition to their talent, they have in common a passion for Italy. They all live and work in Italy, at least some months each year. Here they are: Lee Babel, Donna Polseno, Ingrid Mair Zischg, Lisa Nocentini, Aldo Rontini, Betty Woodman

Lee Babel
Lee is a German artist who works part of the year near Venice, where she is well known. Her works are an original mix of the Bauhaus style and the Italian ceramics from the Renaissance.

Ingrid Mair Zischg
Ingrid is inspired by the archaic feminine universe. Her sculptures deal with the symbols of life, time and nature.

Lisa Nocentini
Lisa’s amazing human and animal figures evoke Italian popular art and legends and let the viewer imagine stories which she just suggests…

Donna PolsenoSpiral woman with vase by Donna Polseno
Donna, a US artist, has been making art pottery for more than 30 years. Her most renowned works are her hand-built clay vessels and female figures.
With work in numerous collections including the Mint Museum, NC, the St. Louis Museum of Art, the Art Museum of Western Virginia, she teaches at workshops and university programs across US and abroad.

Aldo Rontini
Winner of the International Ceramic Prize in Faenza in 1993, Aldo is a great figurative sculptor. One of his favorite sources of inspiration is the human body, which he recreates with a painstaking definition of its anatomic details (and some added irony…)

Betty Woodman
Betty is internationally recognized as one of the most important ceramic artists working today. Her captivating sculptures are a unique gathering of influences and traditions and the result of a creative use of colors and forms.

Palazzo Pretorio
Via Giovanni Boccaccio
Certaldo (Firenze)
Tel. 0039 0571 661219