Nanni Valentini: Interspaces

Over the half-century span of its Ceramic National exhibitions, the Everson launched the career of countless American ceramists. In 1942 and 1958, the scope of the Ceramic Nationals became international, showcasing talents from both the Western hemisphere and Europe. On the advice of Italian artist Lucio Fontana, a brilliant ceramist in his own right, the 1958 Ceramic International introduced Nanni Valentini to the world. Valentini received a coveted purchase prize, and his work was exhibited on that year’s circuit, which included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

By the time he exhibited at the Ceramic International, Valentini’s work had begun to move away from strict functionality. Although his studies were rooted in pottery traditions at the Istituto d’Arte per la Ceramica in Faenza, Valentini saw himself as a fine artist rather than craftsman. In the 1960s, he began creating conceptual wall-based ceramics that drew from exciting developments in Italian painting. By the 1970s, he produced a groundbreaking series of works called Trasparenza (Transparency), which further broke down the barriers between painting and sculptural object. Before his untimely death in 1985, Valentini established that ceramics were an inextricable part of the fine art canon.

In collaboration with the Nanni Valentini Archive, Fondazione Museo della Ceramica di Savona, and ABC-ARTE, Interspaces re-introduces Valentini’s groundbreaking work to American audiences.

Nanni Valentini
Trasparenza (…e del cielo e della terra),
1979-80
Pigmented gauze and terracotta,
118 x 51 x 23½ inches
Courtesy of ABC-ARTE, © Nanni Valentini

In collaboration with Italian cultural partners Nanni Valentini Archive, Savona Ceramics Museum Foundation, and ABC-ARTE Genova/Milano, Interspaces reintroduces Valentini’s groundbreaking work to American audiences.

The exhibition was overseen by Flaminio Gualdoni, an Italian art historian, known as the most acknowledged critic on Nanni Valentini’s work, co-curated by Garth Johnson (Paul Phillips & Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics, Everson Museum of Art), with Luca Bochicchio (Scientific Director, Savona Ceramics Museum).

In 2027, Interspaces will travel to Italy, to be shown at ceramics museums in Savona and Albisola, along with other major venues in the country. An international book featuring catalog essays by contributors from the museums and institutions involved will also be published.

The Everson is supported by the General Operating Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of County Executive, J. Ryan McMahon II, and the Onondaga County Legislature, administered by CNY Arts; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.