It should be no surprise that a company whose most iconic packaging is a jar created by an important twentieth-century artist is now the driving force behind one of the most coveted art prizes. Creativity has been in Fabbri’s genes ever since the 1920s, when Gennaro Fabbri commissioned the famous potter Enrico Gatti to design its legendary white and blue jar. Fabbri’s connection to the world of art was confirmed once again during the 1950s with the company’s television commercials, entitled “Un pittore alla settimana” (A painter a week), which focused on talented, up-and-coming artists, including a very young Guttuso, and which were broadcast on the popular television show Carosello.
In 2005, this long-lasting commitment to art resulted in the establishment of the Fabbri Art Prize, to celebrate the company’s centenary. Now in its fourth edition, the prize will be back in Bologna in the next few days, as part of Arte Fiera. The shortlisted works, including paintings, sculptures and photographs, will be on display as part of the exhibition «Un secolo e 7» (A century and 7), curated by Alberto Agazzani, from 28 January to 16 February at the Accademia delle Belle Arti (Fine Arts Academy), in via Belle Arti 54 (free entrance). The winners will be announced on Sunday 29 January in the Art Talk area of the trade fair, in the pavilions for the contemporary art market.
Thirty artists are competing for the prize, including about fifteen painters, nine sculptors and seven photographers, all of whom have been selected from the Italian and international art world to reinterpret the Fabbri brand, with its symbols and products, in order to portray them with feeling, imagination and passion.
Fabbri’s initiative aims to encourage talent and innovation in the Italian art world, through the eyes of those who create and experience art.
If you do not get a chance to visit the exhibition in Bologna, the works of art can also be viewed online: http://www.fabbri1905.com/it/480/154/iv-edizione
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