The town of San Gimignano is famous for many good reasons: the beauty of its unique medieval towers, the stunning vista from many panorama points, and the world championship-winning gelato at Dondoli. Yet look beyond the bustling shops on via San Giovanni to find a number of contemporary gallery spaces worth exploring, including iSculpture.
Established in 2012 by Francesca Cundari and Patrick Pii, iSculpture is the first Contemporary Art Gallery in Italy to feature only Italian Sculptors. With a passion for promoting young talent, Cundari and Pii set about creating a bespoke gallery to showcase and sell new works in their exhibition space housed in the basement of an ancient 14th-century medieval tower.
iSculpture′s aim is to combine tradition and modernity. The contrast between the old stonewalls of the gallery and the modern lines of the sculpture pieces makes this gallery unique. It features 20 artists from around Italy who use an array of materials, including ceramics, bronze, alabaster, wood, marble, and iron.
iSculpture San Gimignano
Each artist is chosen for the material they favour, and the use of traditional techniques, yet all have a contemporary approach to the final product. The two-level loft structure of the gallery creates an open mezzanine level to ascend, offering an open and light space ideal to house the works on show. It is a popular gallery for interior decorators and art collectors looking for a unique item for their clients or home. From Christian Verginer′s sculpture carvings of human figures using lime tree wood and techniques studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara to Francesco Ardini, ceramic pieces inspired by domestic objects now redundant by modern technology, including a typewriter and oversized pencils.
Davide Dall′Osso′s polycarbonate creations of body casts or Zino, whose mix media of photography and lego pieces are unique and bold in colour and style. Cundari and Pii are working on a cultural and educational mission, creating multimedia tools to study the history of sculpture and its techniques. They have also opened a second exhibition space in Casole d′Elsa between the provinces of Siena and Pisa. Italy is famous for its love of beauty in the arts, with iSculpture San Gimignano being an exciting addition in Tuscany for those who admire both skill and beauty with a contemporary twist.
Photo © iSculpture
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