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Guido Gambone

Guido Gambone (1909-1969) was born in Montella, Avellino in Italy. He started his career at the local Avallone pottery, continued his training at Manifattura Artistica Ceramica Salernitana before moving to the famous I.C.S. (Industria Ceramica Salernitana). He became artistic director at I.C.S. in 1935. In 1939 he moved back to Vietri and began experimenting with thick, glassy glazes.

In 1943 he founded the La Faenzerella pottery in the town, together with Andrea D’Arienzo (1911-1995). The development of the company was stalled due to the war, but already in 1947 Guido won the prestigious “Premio Faenza” award. Production expanded and pieces were typically decorated with rough and dense glazes made from a combination of glass and sand. Colors varied from earthy tones to vibrant primaries, softened by the thick glazes. Patterns were varied, but always strong and reminiscent of oil paintings. His pieces had a strong primitive feel, quite typical for the Vietri pottery.

In 1950, he moved to Florence permanently and founded the La Tirrena pottery. He worked independently, but other contributed to the pottery’s growing success such as his son Bruno Gambone (born 1936). By the end of the decade, Gambone had achieved international acclaim for his pieces.