Un ceramista del Novecento

Aldo Londi.
A 20th Century Ceramist

Edited by Marina Vignozzi Paszkowski
with contributions by Silvia Floria
Polistampa, Florence, 2014

It is essential to recount the full and rich life of a man and artist who was the creative soul of Bitossi Ceramiche. A visionary ahead of his time, Aldo Londi paved the way for design to enter the world of ceramics through his collaboration with a young Ettore Sottsass, who began working with the Bitossi manufactory in the 1950s—almost as if it were a true experimental workshop.

An eclectic and multifaceted figure, Aldo Londi began frequenting ceramics workshops at the age of eleven, driven by a deep curiosity and thirst for knowledge about this strong local craft tradition in Montelupo Fiorentino (Florence). He was eager to innovate, to listen inwardly, and to express his creative spirit.

Aldo Londi, a “Man of Work” as he liked to describe himself, dedicated his entire life to ceramics – his lifelong companion and a reflection of how he perceived himself: not as a master, but as a craftsman and ceramist. He left behind a rich legacy and an artistic heritage that exemplifies the excellence of Made in Italy, now preserved and accessible at the Bitossi Archive Museum.

Londi’s work played a crucial role in bringing a new Italian style of ceramics to the world – one rooted in tradition, yet inevitably oriented toward modernity and design.

Book features:
264 pages in black and white – 110 photos and drawings, b/w.
Bilingual edition: Italian / English.

© 2014 Fondazione Vittoriano Bitossi