BRUNO GAMBONE (1936 - 2021) was an Italian ceramicist whose practice, which spanned over sixth decades, stands as a benchmark for artistic dedication to expression in clay. “When I open my kiln, it’s always a surprise,” said Gambone.

Born in Vietri sul Mare, Italy, his lifelong exploration in ceramics began as a teenager when he was first exposed to ceramics in the Florence-based studio of his father Guido Gambone, a towering figure in his own right in the story of mid-century Italian ceramics.

Gambone moved to New York in the 1960s and became immersed in its flourishing arts scene. During this time, he focused solely on painting, which would continue to inform his practice across various mediums and disciplines. When his father died in 1969, he returned to Tuscany in order to manage his family’s studio. Combining an experimental approach to form and modelling with a narrative imagination, Gambone’s investigations proved to be a radical departure from his father’s. In 1972, Gambone was invited to be one of 26 artists who participated in a public project entitled Pollution, which was installed in Bologna’s historic Piazza Santo Stefano. The project’s mission was to draw awareness to pollution and corporate greed, a demonstration that was revolutionary for its time.

His work has been the subject of seminal exhibitions including the Venice Biennale (1972) and the XV Milan Triennale (1973). Gambone was a member of the Consiglio Nazionale della Ceramica and the Geneva Academy.

(Source: Friedman Benda; Image Credit: Bruno Gambone Archive)