“Precious, Fascinating, Unmatched Ceramics” Marco Moretti in Ceramica Come Arte (Ed. Octavo 2000)
PIASA’s fourth auction of Italian Design will feature the greatest names in the field as PIASA
continue their exploration of the History of Ceramics with an important section devoted
to Marcello Fantoni (1915-2011), one of the most influential post-war Italian ceramicists. His
impact – whether in terms of technical skill or stylistic expression – was incomparable;
throughout his eventful career he breathed new life into ceramics by propelling them into the
realm of modern art.
Fantoni: A Modern Spirit
Marcello Fantoni was born in Florence in 1915, and became a young virtuoso
in the art of modelling. From the age of 12 he attended lessons with the great
ceramicist Carlo Guerrini at the Istituto d’Arte de Porta Romana; he was also
taught Sculpture by Libero Andreotti and Bruno Innocenti, and Drawing by
Gianni Vagnetti. His years of multidisciplinary training ended in his appointment
as head of a studio in Perugia. Before long he went independent, founding the
Fantoni Ceramic studio.
His designs enjoyed great success from as early as 1937, when the Florence Arts &
Crafts exhibition a string of important private commissions from leading Italian
families – too many, in fact, for Fantoni to keep pace with! His appeal lay in his
gift for transforming everyday objects and lending them an expressiveness that
owed more to sculpture than the decorative tradition of ceramics. The result:
veritable works of art that generated emotion.
Fantoni’s vast oeuvre clearly reflects his vocation as an Artist-Ceramicist
destined to restore the noble reputation of this ancient art form. From his days as
an apprentice he was convinced that ‘archaic’ terracotta disposed of an untapped
expressive potential, borne of its alliance between form (fire/clay) and colour.
