La Fenice Biography
Founded in July 1922 by Manlio Trucco, in partnership with the decorator painter Cornelio Gerenzani, "La Fenice" opened its doors, in the premises of the former "MAS", in via Colombo in Albisola Capo, with a staff of three lathe workers, including Paolo Saltarelli, and about thirty decorators. In the year of its foundation, the factory's ceramics made their debut at the Genoese Promoter of Fine Arts where Gerenzani exhibited, as a painter, in a personal room. From the following year, following disagreements, Gerenzani withdrew from the company and Manlio Trucco remained the sole owner. In 1922 he hosted in his factory a young Genoese painter, Adelina Zandrino, and, around 1926, the sculptor Arturo Martini, introduced to him by the architect and ceramist Mario Labò, who fired some figurines modeled by him and then painted by Trucco in the ovens of the factory. . From these collaborations personal and artistic friendships were born which had a profound impact on the artistic evolution of Trucco and encouraged him to open his factory to numerous artists attracted by the ceramic material. Among others, Francesco Di Cocco worked at his factory between 1928 and 1930; Romeo Bevilacqua between 1933 and 1936; and the sculptors Francesco Messina, Nanni Servettaz and Emanuele Rambaldi; the ceramists Domenico Giusto, the Gagliardo brothers, Cirillo, Cesare Giarrusso, Santagata, Guido Micheletti, Immacolata Zaffuto, Giuseppe Giglioli, Adolfo Lucarini, Umberto Ghersi, Ida Ziller and the stone turners Carlo Giusto and Nicola Ghersi. In 1923 the "Fenice" presented its works at the Pesaro Exhibition and at the 1st Biennial of Decorative Arts in Monza. In 1924 the factory exhibited some ceramics at the annual exhibition of the Society of Fine Arts and at the National Exhibition of Modern Ceramics in Pesaro. In 1925 the factory participated, with the bas-relief entitled "Generating Flame" based on the model by Francesco Messina, in the Paris Exhibition and the II Monza Biennial. In 1926 he was awarded a silver medal at the ENAPI National Exhibition (National Agency for Crafts and Small Businesses). In 1927 Manlio's brother, Urbano Trucco, was called to take on the role of administrator of the company and the "Fenice" participated in the third edition of the Monza Biennale with numerous ceramic groups, created in small series, including works by Giuseppe Agnino , Arturo Martini, Francesco Messina, Armando Barabino and Cesare Giarusso. In the same year he took part in the Tripoli Sample Exhibition. In 1929 the company was present at the International Expo in Barcelona and at the "Exhibition of Italian Artists" in Budapest and the following year it participated in the International Exhibition of Antwerp and the I Triennial of Decorative and Industrial Arts in Monza, an event that replaced the previous ones Biennials. In 1930 the factory was moved to the premises in via Aurelia and remained inactive for a few months due to the malfunctioning of the oil furnaces. In the following years the factory was still present at the Florence Crafts Exhibition of 1931, '33 and '36; at the Milan Triennials of 1933 and '36 and, in 1934, at the Sanremo National Floriculture Exhibition, where he obtained a gold and a bronze medal. In 1933 Manlio Trucco joined forces with Ernesto Daglio who in 1936 became the sole owner of the "Fenice" and entrusted its artistic direction to Romeo Bevilacqua. In 1940 the factory, under the direction of Daglio, participated in the Milan Triennale. Subsequently, due to the war, the activity was suspended and resumed immediately after the war when first Cavalletti and, from 1950, Luigi Pescio senior who left the factory in 1955 to found "IMA" (Industria Albisolesi majolica. Starting from 1946, Alberto Nobile collaborated with the company and created some models in the manufacturing laboratories. In 1958, the production of the "Fenice" was presented at the Ernesto Daglio Craft Fair leads the factory, where various artists collaborate, more or less occasionally, including Lucio Fontana, Mario Porcù, Mario Anselmo, Enrico Bruzzone, Marco Silombria, Bartolo Sacchi, Albert Toby, Luigi Caldenzano, Nanni Servettaz, Giacomo Raimondi, Bruna Cazzulini , Maria Luisa Vrani as well as Romeo Bevilacqua who collaborated with "La Fenice" throughout his artistic career. 1975 Enrico Daglio sold the company to the spouses Rina Moliardo and Luciano Figallo, the current owners. The new management presented the production at the National Exhibition of Caltagirone in 1977. In 1986 he participated in the 1st National Competition of Art Ceramics in Savona, obtaining third prize jointly with Maria Luisa Vrani. In the 1980s and 1990s, the very young Paolo Anselmo trained at the factory. The manufacturing brand has always remained unchanged since its foundation and consists of the graphic symbol of a phoenix which always rises from the fire with spread wings. The painter and decorator Selene Scarani has collaborated with the manufacturer since 1995.
