15/11/2009 by Manuela

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 →

21/10/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

A short history of pottery from Civita Castellana

Italian pottery - Ceramic tile by Terrecotte Surrena 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.

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19/10/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

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.

Continue reading →

10/10/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

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!

09/07/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

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.

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25/06/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

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.

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22/06/2009 by Manuela

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

Continue reading →

20/06/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

Riccardo Biavati – Art in the Garden 2009

Until October 30, 2009
Elba Island – Italy

The 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.

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20/05/2009 by Manuela

2009 International Ceramic Festival in Montelupo – Tuscany

June 20-28, 2009
Montelupo – Italy

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.

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28/04/2009 by Tiziana Manzetti

Novecento – Italian Ceramics. Volume 3: last decades

The 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 →