
Bitossi
Italian cermics manufacturer
Bitossi Ceramiche (established in 1921). With a family legacy in the region reaching back to the sixteenth century, Bitossi Ceramiche is a world-renowned ceramics company that has garnered success through a combination of time-honored traditions and novel designs. Officially added to Italy’s Registry of Italian Historical Companies in 2014, Bitossi Ceramiche continues to uphold its quest for innovative design and unparalleled craftsmanship.
Guido Bitossi, the founder of the company, descended from several generations of celebrated ceramicists whose links to the Tuscan region of Montelupo dated as far back as the 1530s. Building on that heritage, Bitossi endeavored in 1921 to launch his own ceramics company named the “Manifattura Ceramica Cav. Guido Bitossi & Figli.” Though the name was eventually shortened to simply “Bitossi Ceramiche,” the company gained increasing recognition. read more
This growing awareness was in part owed Aldo Londi (1911-2003), who was named Botossi’s creative director in the later 1940s. He too had been steeped in the historic ceramic traditions of the region, but he also brought a renewed focus on designs that celebrated the streamlined forms of the mid-century moment. This spirit was encapsulated in his iconic Rimini Blue series, which was produced from 1955 to 1965 and comprised more than 150 different pieces ranging from jugs and vases to diminutive figurines that shared a striking azure blue glaze.
Londi and Bitossi also embraced collaborations with a number of the leading designers of the second half of the twentieth century. One of the most fruitful and impactful collaboration was that with Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass, who brought to the ceramic brand his acclaimed play with form, space, and color to conjure revolutionary and iconic designs. Sottsass’ time with Bitossi proved beneficial for him as well, as it revealed to him the potential of the ceramic medium as a space for Sottsass’ ongoing experimentation. As the years progressed, Bitossi engaged in similar collaborations with other prominent designers, such as Michele de Lucchi, Matteo Thun, Arik Levy, and Formafantasma.
The legacy of Bitossi Ceramiche lives on in private collections around the world but is perhaps most concentrated in the Bittosi Artistic Industrial Museum, which is housed in the original Bitossi factory building in Montelupo Fiorentino.
Last updated: April 24, 2019
For more information on Bitossi, please visit:
“Company – History.” Bitossi.
“Museo Artistico Industriale Bitossi.” Fondazione Vittoriano Bitossi.
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