Italian
A journey through art, architecture, and urban memory: Felipe Sanguinetti’s film tells the story of Milanese ceramics by Fontana in dialogue with the exhibition Mani-Fattura at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
VENICE – The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice presents a project that combines art, cinema, and architectural memory: The Ceramics of Lucio Fontana in Milan, an unreleased short film directed by Argentine director Felipe Sanguinetti, accompanies the major exhibition Mani-Fattura: the ceramics of Lucio Fontana, dedicated to the lesser-known but extraordinary ceramic production of the Italian-Argentine artist.
Conceived as an integral part of the exhibition and fully projected in the spaces adjacent to the show, the film offers a visual and conceptual journey that completes the museum experience. Through a dense and poetic cinematic language, Sanguinetti guides the viewer on a journey through post-war Milan, discovering the ceramic works that Fontana created between the Thirties and Fifties, many of which are still integrated into the urban fabric.
The short film unfolds as a journey through some symbolic places of the Lombard capital – from the Monumental Cemetery to the Gonzaga Institute, from the Prada Foundation to Borsani Villa, from the Church of San Fedele to the Diocesan Museum, up to private buildings – where Fontana’s ceramics interact with architecture in a blend of forms, light, and material. Through friezes, decorative panels, and sculptural elements, the artist has managed to merge art and architecture in a profoundly modern vision, the result of collaboration with great designers such as Osvaldo Borsani, Roberto Menghi, Mario Righini and Marco Zanuso.
Voicing this choral narrative are five protagonists from the academic and curatorial landscape: Sharon Hecker, art historian and curator of the exhibition, Federico Borsani from the Osvaldo Borsani Archive, Paolo Campiglio (University of Pavia), Elena Dellapiana (Polytechnic University of Turin), and Paolo Scrivano (Polytechnic University of Milan). Their testimonies weave together historical-artistic analyses and architectural perspectives, offering the public valuable keys to understanding the innovative significance of Fontana’s ceramics and their role in the cultural reconstruction of post-war Milan.
Produced by Melissa Ulfane, the film does not just document often inaccessible works, but also conveys Fontana’s visionary energy, placing ceramic material in dialogue with the identity of a transforming city. The result is an immersive experience that expands the boundaries of the museum, inviting visitors to look beyond the exhibition halls to rediscover the artist’s vibrant presence in the urban space.
With The Ceramics of Lucio Fontana in Milan, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection renews its commitment to proposing innovative ways of experiencing art, capable of combining historical rigor and visual suggestion. The short film thus represents a fundamental piece of the Mani-Fattura project, an initiative that unites the material and spiritual dimensions of artistic creation, allowing for a reinterpretation of Fontana’s legacy in light of contemporary times.
The exhibition Mani-Fattura: the ceramics of Lucio Fontana is made possible with the support of Bottega Veneta.
