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FRANCO BASTIANELLI
di Laurana
Born in Pesaro
Italy 1940. He lives and
works in Pesaro and Milano. He graduated
from Mengaroni Art School in Pesaro where he studied
under Giuliano Vangi. In 1982 he
received an honorary degree in Economy from Francesco
Petrarca University in Los Angeles for his research and
study on enamels for artistic and industrial use. In 2001 his design for a sculture
called “Maternità” was sold to an american
multi-national company, Procter&Gamble, that used it to
distribuite its Infasil product range
A
passionate
guardian of the secrets of high-fired enamel, his
creative journey has wound its way through art, research
and technique. An
audacious innovator, he is forever searching for unusual
materials and new techniques.
A pioneer of
our time, he discovered an ancient art and has made it
the medium “par excellence” of his artistic expression.
Thanks to its
originality and the power of his creations, his work has
earned him the name of “the enamels artist”.
A vast gallery
of work that leads to the discovery of his eclectic,
multifaceted world in the past. Today he definitively
cames to the sculpture.
Exhibition and
Awards
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In 1959
he presented enamel on copper pieces in Ancona at
Palazzo Benincasa
·
In 1960
in Pesaro he exhibited his works with young artists
·
In 1961
at the Roma Gallery in Bergamo, he showed pieces made
from high-fired enamel on copper
·
In 1963
in a one-man exhibition at the Europa Gallery in Rimini
and in another the following year in Germany, he
exibited high- fired enamelled copper high-reliefs and
vases
·
In 1964
he held another exhibition in Florence
·
In
1966, in Corso Vannucci in Perugia he showed enamel
jewellery
·
In 1967
he created enamelled sculptures were exhibited in France
and Switzerland.
·
In
Sanremo he received an important award
·
In 1969
precious jewellery, pictures and vases was exhibited at
the Galleria del Corso in Florence
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In 1971
in Vicenza and the Aosta Valley he exhibited enamelled
copper tiles and jewel sculptures with flame-cut
perforations
·
In
Siracusa he presented iron and bronze little
sculptures, characteristic warrior figures
·
In 1975
in Spoleto, during the “Festival of two Worlds”, he
presented acid engravings on copper plate, with
single-fired sifted enamel
·
In 1998
in Varese he received the first prize at the
International Meeting of Fire Arts In 1999 he exhibited
enamelled glass works in Sanremo
·
In the
same year he exposed in Nova Milanese
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In 2000
he created new sculptures in vitreous stoneware for the
International contemporary ceramic art competition
Faenza
·
In 001
he took part in the International Enamelers Congress in
Venice
·
In
2002, in Milano (Sovico) he exhibited enamelled glass
pieces at Creativ Kreis
·
In 2003 he presented in Saint Petersburg a precious
piece of enamelled jewellery exhibited city at the
Academy of Art, in celebrations to mark the 300th
anniversary of the foundation of thecity
In2003 te
Brianza he presented new jewellery with glass and gold
·
In 2004
he realized and to create bas-reliefs on walls using
small shards of coloured glass exhibited in Pesaro huge
installations with elements in “moulded” and enamelled
glass and he work
·
In 2008
he presented his new sculptures in Pesaro at Palazzo
Gradari
·
In
Rimini he exposed at “Meeting for friendship among
peoples”
·
In June
2008 he was selected to Premio Arte Mondadori
Experiences
and works
·
From a
very young age F bilt a muffle furnace, where he could
fire small pieces of crushed glass mixed with various
mineral oxides to obtain the famous Laurana enamels
·
In 1958
he continued his artistic experience in the ceramic
workshops where he later met Nanni Valentini: united by
their passion for the fire arts
·
In 1959
he opened the Laurana studio frequented by numerous
young artists, where he created high reliefs,vases,
plates and the famous jewellery in the world
·
In 1961
Whith Professor Doppioni of Faenza he began particurarly
demanding research on chemical-phisical formulas for
powdered enamels for copper and gold
·
In this
workshop in 1962 he created the italian first range of
colours for enamel on metals
·
In 1964
he began research into the application of single-fired
enamel on metal, achieving new goals in this particular
technique.
·
In 1968
he created a gold and enamelled copper cupola for a
private libyan mosque, around 180 square metres and
without supporting columns
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In 1970 began to
create his single–fired enamel jewellery and continued
researching in order the formulation of colours
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In 1972
he used gold and silver to create new effects on enamel
jewellery
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In 1976
he perfected the “graffiti” technique on single-fired
enamels and obtained significant results used by italian
and overseas industries, also he created jewellery and
vases in copper perforated using a blow torch and sifted
enamels
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In 1979 he moved to
the United States of America where he studied the
techniques of smelting precious metals
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In 1980 in Britain
he spent his time working on miniatures in high-fired
enamel on copper and silver, which he then created in
Italy the following year
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In 1982 he concluded
his research on “direct” serigraphy on metals and glass
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In 1983
he designed and built a high-temperature continuous flow
furnace for single-firing vases and gold, glass and
enamelled copper jewellery
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In 1985 he
experimented on the first ceramic fibres for heat
“moulding” flat glass
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In 1987 he coloured
his first thick flat glass pieces with enamels
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In 1988 he created
glass sculptures using wire and “moulding” over space
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In 1990 he continued
using ceramics fibres to create huge glass sculptures
with coloured metals
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In 1991 and 1992 he
realized new forms: tables, showcases and mirrors in
glass and enamels
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In 1993 he created
glass sculptures using a free flame with copper, steel
wires and colours from his own formulas
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In 1993 he built a
continuous furnace for glass and began new and
particularly demanding research into the combined use of
glass and stoneware
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In
1995, after complex studies he created unusual “moulded”
and enamelled glass cooking hobs that were resistant to
knocks and drastic temperature changes
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In 1997 he patented
a method for the single-fired smelting of sheets of flat
glass, with the end results of enamelling in several
colours and volumetric variability
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In 2000
he realized a precious gold, silver and enamel
ostensory for a newly-built basilica in Urbino.
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In the same year he
began to create jewellery by interweaving glass, enamels
and gold, copper and steel wire
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In 2001 he produced
enamelled glass vases and plates,”moulded” using
high-firing details in glass, gold and platinum tesseras:
·
in 2001
his design for a sculture called “Maternità” was sold to
an american multi-national company, Procter&Gamble, that
used it to distribuite its Infasil product range
·
In 2003
he created a jewellery inspired by ancient Egypt for the
soprano Stefania Bonfadelli
·
In 2004
he realized and to create bas-reliefs on walls using
small shards of coloured glass exhibited in Pesaro huge
installations with elements in “moulded” and enamelled
glass and he work
·
In 2006
he
definitively came to the sculpture
and he began to create the works using his glass and
enamel
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