Rosanna Bianchi Piccoli: Ceramist, Designer, and Ethnographic Researcher
Rosanna Bianchi Piccoli (1929–2025) was an Italian artist known for her contributions as a ceramist, designer, and researcher, merging the realms of art, craft, design, and anthropology. She studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera under the guidance of Carlo Carrà and Mauro Reggiani. Between 1957 and 1963, she undertook an ethnographic exploration of Italian ceramic traditions with support from ENAPI, learning from masters such as Mastro Zizì Tritapepe and Mastro Letterio Iachetta. Notable creations include the Albarelli series (1957–58) and the Vaso Doppio (1959). From 1958 to 1983, she worked with Galleria Il Sestante in Milan, unveiling her Cosmopiatti series in 1967. Her later projects, like the Horti Sicci series, focused on functional items that embody memory and knowledge.
Key facts
- Rosanna Bianchi Piccoli lived from 1929 to 2025.
- She studied at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera under Carlo Carrà and Mauro Reggiani.
- Between 1957 and 1963, she conducted ethnographic research on Italian ceramic traditions for ENAPI.
- She worked with artisans like Mastro Zizì Tritapepe in Lanciano and Mastro Letterio Iachetta.
- Her Albarelli series (1957–58) was inspired by pharmacy jars at the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza.
- The Vaso Doppio (1959) was made at the Fabiani workshop in Fratte Rosa.
- She collaborated with Galleria Il Sestante in Milan from 1958 to 1983.
- In 1967, she presented the first 31 Cosmopiatti at Galleria Il Sestante.
- Her motto 'man salda e cuor sicuro' comes from the Della Robbia tradition.
- Her work is cited in relation to material culture studies by Laura Tripaldi.
Entities
Artists
- Rosanna Bianchi Piccoli
- Carlo Carrà
- Mauro Reggiani
- Mastro Zizì Tritapepe
- Mastro Letterio Iachetta
- Annabella Rossi
- Ernesto De Martino
- Claude Lévi-Strauss
- Ettore Sottsass
- Hans von Klier
- Bobo Piccoli
- Arnaldo Pomodoro
- Giò Pomodoro
- Roberto Menghi
- Marco Zanuso
- Alberto Scarzella
- Franco Marescotti
- Sylvia Plath
- Cristina Campo
- Laura Tripaldi
- Vanni Scheiwiller
Institutions
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
- ENAPI (Ente Nazionale per l'Artigianato e le Piccole Industrie)
- Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche di Faenza
- Galleria Il Sestante
- Triennale di Milano
- Bottega Fabiani di Fratte Rosa
- Ministero dell'Industria
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Lanciano
- Fratte Rosa
- Faenza
- France
- Netherlands
- Scandinavia
- Germany
- Austria
- Belgium
- Capodimonte