The “Vaselle d’autore” idea was born in front of a glass of good wine, between Master Nino Caruso and the former mayor of Torgiano, in order to create a reality linked to the territory and its excellence. Torgiano which is linked to the wine by ancient tradition and the presence of fine cellars and a dedicated museum.
The initial idea was to create it functional, trying to influence and “rejuvenate” the local artisans production.
This concept was then further developed by Caruso, who decided to invite artists from different disciplines, even if the first experience with ceramics, but, for this reason, potential bearers of ideas and suggestions always new and different.
Since that time, every year, three artists from all over the world are invited to make vaselle, the traditional Umbrian “mugs” heirs of the medieval “Panata”. In November then, in honor of the new wine, the works are presented, celebrating the marriage between the ancient tradition of pottery and the research and innovation of every contemporary artist.
In this way, over time, a collection of about 150 works by artists of absolute importance was created, among them I would like to mention Piero Dorazio , Carla Accardi, Nino Caruso, Bruno Ceccobelli, Antonella Zazzera, to name just a few.
The year 2014 will be the nineteenth edition, and perhaps, as in the intention of the inventor, the twentieth anniversary edition will be the last, consecrated with the publication of an official catalog, to give way to new projects and give and receive new motivations from the artistic area and beyond.
The museum, located in Palazzo Malizia in Torgiano, also includes a collection of works by Nino Caruso, donated to the City.
The collection consists of 58 works that cross the artist’s production from the beginning in the fifties, to the present day. The group of the first works is identified with the name “archaic works”, and their particularity is the testing of materials such as ash, pieces of glass or other, placed on the surface of the work before cooking, with the result of obtaining rough surfaces.
Then there is the group of ” Mitovasi ” objects that transcend their common use to become sculptures with references to forms and classic decor .
The “Portals” and the steles are formed by the famous modules designed by Caruso: Forms created with models of polystyrene cut with incandescent steel wire up to form matrices that allow to produce a series of modules, in fact, positive and negative, to be assembled to give shape and life to the larger sculptures.
Wine and terracotta, a combination that is lost in antiquity, but it manages to surprise and fascinate, thanks to the immense talent of the artists who match them with their art.
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by Benedetta Tintillini
