Umberto Ghersi Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Son of the ceramist Angelo and descendant of a family of Albisola majolica makers Umberto Ghersi, born in 1913 in Albisola, painter, decorator and good ceramic technician, after having learned the first rudiments of the material at the family's crockery factory he trained artistically in the workshop "Poggi" and, after an experience as a lathe and technician in the earth department of the "La Casa dell'Arte" factory, which began in 1926, he worked as a decorator at various other factories in Albisola including the "Fenice", the "SPICA" and the "MGA". Around the mid-1930s, he worked in partnership with Bartolomeo Tortarolo, known as Bianco d'Albisola, at the "Pozzo Garitta" factory. Read the full biography

Son of the ceramist Angelo and descendant of a family of Albisola majolica makers Umberto Ghersi, born in 1913 in Albisola, painter, decorator and good ceramic technician, after having learned the first rudiments of the material at the family's crockery factory he trained artistically in the workshop "Poggi" and, after an experience as a lathe and technician in the earth department of the "La Casa dell'Arte" factory, which began in 1926, he worked as a decorator at various other factories in Albisola including the "Fenice", the "SPICA" and the "MGA". Around the mid-1930s, he worked in partnership with Bartolomeo Tortarolo, known as Bianco d'Albisola, at the "Pozzo Garitta" factory. Production was suspended due to the Second World War and in 1946 the two, together with Geri, Romano, Bianco d'Albisola and Perilli, created the factory for the production of artistic majolica "Soesco" but in 1949 they were forced to sell the business to the Milanese entrepreneur Noia Rodogna and Umberto Ghersi continues to work for a few years, with the new owner, at the factory that takes the name of "Rayon". In 1953 the ceramist Ugo Michielotto became the owner of "Rayon" and Umberto Ghersi was confirmed in his place in the factory which changed its name again becoming "Manifattura Ceramiche Italia". In the 1950s he was perhaps among the founders of the Albisola ceramic factory "LACA" but he was probably only its artistic director. In 1962 Umberto Ghersi participated with a nativity scene composition, one of the subjects dearest to him, at the Lodi Nativity Scene Exhibition and in 1964 one of his ceramics was awarded a prize at the D'Albisola Festival. In 1964 he set up his own business and founded "Ghersi Umberto Ceramiche" with headquarters, first in via Respighi 2 and later in via Celea 54, in Albissola Mare. A catalog of the "Cambi" auction house in Genoa presents in the session of 22 February 2012 a lot marked "Ghersi Ceramiche Laca Albisola Capo". In the 1980s, at the invitation of Bepi Mazzotti and his son Tullio (second of the name), he created some ceramics at the "Fabbrica Casa Museo Giuseppe Mazzotti 1903" in Albisola Capo. Umberto Ghersi, defined by Lucio Fontana as "master of rare chromatic sensitivity and my collaborator on important works", died in Albisola in 1993.