The vast output of Marcello Fantoni reflects, undiminished, the artist’s youthful fervour, his constant drive to be an artist in ceramics. – Marco Morettti, Marcello Fantoni: Omaggio agli antenati

The above quote, from a wonderful book on Fantoni, gives but a small hint as to the depth and breadth of his extensive career. Fantoni, with a unique style grounded in both the ancient (Etruscan, Chinese) and modern (Cubism), was one of the giants who shaped Italian ceramics design in the 50s and 60s. He founded an international ceramics school in Florence in 1970 to pass on his skills to a new generation, branched out into the creation of striking Brutalist metal pieces later that decade, and continued to experiment with ceramics until his death in 2011. The recognition of his artistry is reflected in current sales for his works, with even the mass-produced pieces made by his studio assistants commanding respectable prices. The vases pictured here, though pedestrian, give an idea of the variety and handmade nature of his studio’s work: From the painterly mix of purple and ochre on the 50s-60s Classical figure vase, to the rich brown and imperfect shape of the onion vase, to the angles and weight of the imposing Brutalist piece, they show an artist who worked only within the limits of his imagination.