Alvino Bagni

Alvino Bagni was born in Lastra a Signa, Italy, in 1919, and from a young age he began to take an interest in ceramics, which was an important industry at the time in the area around Signa, Lastra a Signa and Montelupo (Florence). After the Second World War, Bagni opened his own workshop through the help of an elderly artist named Torello Santini. In 1970 the company moved to a larger, more modern factory, where it was able to take business up a gear. Here Alvino surrounded himself with highly-skilled collaborators and artists with whom he achieved a perfect balance between material, technique and aesthetics. As the working world becomes increasingly globalized, his company struggled to withstand the excessive drop in prices making it closed for good in 1990. However, in ’93 he was back in the game with the new venture Nuove Forme, until he retired eight years later for health reasons. Alvino died in 2009 at the age of 90. His career was a fascinating journey filled with modesty, technical skill, passion and creativity.